>>It smells like an ex-SEAL with problems<<
His problem might have been unemployment and a hungry family. Solution would be to hire oneself out if the money is good. You’d be surprised of the high number of Americans working overseas because of poor working conditions at home. There are Americans overseas who never came home after WWII because they found meaningful lives in Europe and the Far East. It’s fun talking with them in bars all across the world. I myself spent my entire professional life abroad and would do it again in a fossil fuel minute.
He had a high-paying job with great security before he went AWOL.