Hi CC. I am so sorry you lost all of those memories. There is hope that the tech can get the data back. The DoD have some programs to delete data where it overwrites the space 7 times, anything short of that is recoverable. I just pray it is not too expensive for you
I am very proud of how you handled it! So many people here give their walk-away's too much out of fear. I was a poster child in this dep't. You were amazing by giving him the boot.
People are scared that if they stand up for themselves, they will push the other away. I think it is the exact opposite. You showed him how strong you are, and if I can feel awe looking at you, when I barely know anything, I know he has to feel a little of the awe. Well Done!