Was he on active duty the last four years? I thought the Marines tour was eight years—four active and four inactive reserves. That’s how my son was, only he signed onto active reserves now. They even called him up from IRR the year before, but he was able to get a deferment for a while.
Anyway, be thankful for his service and his safety.
Imagine my surprise when I didn't learn about the eight year total commitment until a month before I was to be discharged from active duty. Inactive reserves!?! What the...
That was the navy, so I assume all branches have the same commitment. And I didn't have to do anything while in the inactive reserves--despite being in it during 9/11--except notify the navy of a change in address.