Hi Jakebyrd -

Fist off...thank you for your service!! What branch of the service are you in?

And welcome aboard!!! You've found a great place to learn.

What you'll get here is some structure that you won't get from youtube videos. It does help to get information from other sources too...personal instructor, youtube, other sites, etc. I've heard good thing about JustinGuitar and have encountered some of their tutorials.

When you are first starting out, I think it is beneficial to have somebody that can help you our in person, so I would suggest you take your girlfriend up on her offer. Once you get the basics down, you should be able to use this site "solo".

Feel free to ask questions in the forums and let us know how your journey goes!!!

Enjoy!!