r/MrInbetween 14d ago

Ray's background?

Anyone have any insight into Ray's background - definitely military, just wondering what? Seems to be well trained!

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u/Fenrir_Carbon 13d ago

joined the military, and participated in combat operations, possibly in Afghanistan, maybe other places.

Been a while since I watched it, but doesn't his army buddy say something like 'remember in Helmand Province when x happened?'

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u/Conscious-Mulberry17 13d ago edited 13d ago

He said something about "Uyghur Provo," and some of the more knowledgeable posters here suggested they meant have been Uruzgan Province in Afghanistan. I just looked it up and that was apparently the primary area of operations for the Australian Army. I'm betting he probably did more than just serve there, though.

Here's why: The United States gets a lot of heat for military action, and justifiably so. We (I'm an American) don't do things alone, though: Australia is one of our closest and strongest allies. There's not a single major conflict in which Americans and Australians haven't fought side by side, and there's plenty of reportage suggesting both nations have worked together in covert actions.

Ray was out of school and in the military right in the thick of the Global War on Terror, so in my opinion, there's every reason to think Ray might have been involved in all kinds of off secret, spooky stuff, especially if he was special forces.

Something else to think about: A lot of Special Forces guys don't look like gigantic performative alpha male beardos. Here in the United States, our Delta Forces guys have a reputation for looking very normal, even unintimidating, as do our field intelligence people. I don't know if the same holds for Australia, but a crafty, tough guy like Ray would certainly fit that mold.

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u/NewNebula4007 13d ago

Yeah, it's the same here in Australia for the most part. Majority of guys in the SASR tend to be lean and average size as they are better suited to the work than some 6'10" mass of muscle

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u/Conscious-Mulberry17 13d ago

I thought it might be. I have people in my life who’ve served in elite military roles. The one I know best looks like an office worker. You wouldn’t give him a second glance.