Tunnel Rat is of Trinidadian Chinese descent and lived in Brooklyn, New York prior to joining the US Army.

Joe comic book writer Larry Hama,[2] who was an EOD specialist for two tours of duty during the Vietnam War.

Tunnel Rat teaches Grand Slam all about the Joe credit cards, as the latter had been having problems with receiving his pay.

The group joins up with Dusty, Crankcase, Hawk, Cross-Country, and Outback to take the equipment to Fort Carson, but Tunnel Rat's new payment method gets them attacked by Cobra forces.

Clutch's driving skills saves the day but Cobra Commander escapes with the knowledge that Tunnel Rat has unwittingly given him.

However, Scoop later saves the life of a wounded Tunnel Rat by defeating an Iron Grenadier in hand-to-hand combat, which earns him the respect of all the other Joes.

[6] After the conflict, Tunnel Rat was part of a group of Joes tracking down a mysterious invasion in Sierra Gordo.

He was called into action to help a group of Joes infiltrate an abandoned Cobra facility in New York City.

During the World War 3 storyline, Tunnel Rat was reactivated again, this time he deployed to South America alongside Footloose, Beach Head, Lift Ticket, Rapid Fire, and Windmill.

As the main team moved to attack Cobra forces in the Appalachian Mountains, Tunnel Rat redeployed to New York City where he battled Alley Vipers in the sewers.

[11] A third Tunnel Rat figure was part of the Sonic Fighters sub-set in 1990, and came with an oversized backpack that featured electronic sounds.

[12] The original Tunnel Rat sculpt was revived as part of a new "Night Force" set released in 2004.

That same year, he was released as part of the "Desert Patrol Squad" set, which also included the figures Ambush, Dusty, Gung Ho, Snake Eyes and Stalker.

Tunnel Rat is part of a 2-figure Walmart exclusive, packaged with Monkeywrench, an explosives expert for the Dreadnoks.

Tunnel Rat was depicted as a rather cocky and wisecracking but good-natured individual with a thick Brooklyn accent.

Tunnel Rat is berated for his cavalier, macho attitude in the face of a dangerous training course by Beach Head.

In the episode "White Out," it was revealed that Tunnel Rat was once on the same military team with Snow Job and Frostbite.

The reunion takes place off-screen, as the viewers only hear Tunnel Rat's mom yell "Nicky!?"