Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas) represents Texas' 3rd congressional . Yuzuk started digging and discovered that Flaherty had worked undercover with the Feds during the 80s. During the same tour of duty, Flaherty was also awarded two Bronze Stars for valor and two Purple Hearts. He was awarded a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts. Got the VC screaming "we said no Oddjob! * Born and raised in Brooklyn N.Y., David Yuzuk attended the University of Stony Brook on a football scholarship. Punji stake traps found in the tunnels highlight one of the most disgusting and feared examples of Vietnamese booby traps. Yuzuk had started to look into his friends story well before his death and discovered that hed worked as an undercover agent for federal authorities during the 1980s. July 21, 2015. Copyright 2023 Military.com. A retired Miami cop spends three years trying to unearth the truth about a homeless gentleman he'd befriended. However, as the Viet Cong soldier highlighted, by throwing grenades into the void ahead, or shooting pistols, the noise was deafening and alerted them to their presence. He was always recommending books and talking about philosophy, work and politics and eventually giving me advice. This article was originally published 1/7/2021. Flaherty led his platoon in a flanking assault on the enemy position, during which an NVA bunker was spotted. ", People dont know about Cotton and it shows. Saddest to me is that Flaherty was a man who had done much and who could have offered so much more, but he got lost in ways well never understand. As a result, many tunnel rats often avoided using hearing protection while underground. Upon graduation he was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) as a Special Forces Operations Detachment A (SFODA) Commander in Company A of the 3rd SFG in Thailand. After his service in Vietnam, Richard Flaherty applied for Special Forces training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Some of these men were career military officers. A large proportion of the U.S. troops consisted of African American men from the inner cities, the sons of immigrants . During the Second World War, the Vietnamese first constructed underground tunnels to fight Japanese invasion. Id known him for 15 years, and this was the first time he ever mentioned the military. Later that year, he was reassigned to the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Devens. Standing at 4 feet, 11 inches, Popoca may be the shortest Soldier during missions, but she has a "tiny but mighty" mindset, she said. However, he was eventually arrested for possession of gun silencers and removed from the agency. Flaherty would be considered a dwarf in medical terms, meaning that his height was less than 4 10.. I have been stewing over it for several months now. He returned to Southeast Asia in 1969 and remained there until 1971 when he left the Army. They carried out tunnel rat duties as and when they needed in addition to any other duties they performed. world war ii. 22. Nguyen Van Vuong started as a soldier in the North Vietnamese Army in 1966 and ended his service in 1971 after contracting malaria. However, other than being underground, they were actually very different from the real Viet Cong tunnels. It is here that his story begins to take many twists and turns. A life warrior. Yuzuk used his own funds and a crowdsourcing campaign to produce The Giant Killer, an 80-minute documentary available on Amazon Prime and iTunes, released late last year. According to an article in the Stamford Advocate, Flahertys body was found by two joggers. I quote the half-inch ants have such a powerful bite that to pull them off means losing a bit of skin. In many ways, Yuzuk became Flahertys friend. The enemy used this to their advantage. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. Lance Corporal Robert A. Bishop explores a Viet Cong tunnel complex found by Leathernecks of the 2d Battalion, 26th Marines. The shortest soldier to fight in Vietnam was a Green Beret. Read on to learn about the crazy booby traps soldiers faced, the creepy crawlies they encountered, and the damaging psychological consequences of such close combat. By April 1968, Flaherty was a paratrooper and a platoon leader with the 101st Airborne Division. Here we go: 1. Clothing-wise, it was a good idea to wear tight waterproof items to stop clothing from snagging on obstructions, leather gloves, and, if possible as mentioned knee pads to assist with crawling around. Standard weapons carried by most infantrymen were unsuitable for use in such tight confines. T he man in the picture keeps his eyes to the ground. After all, many soldiers are have said to prefer the M14 to the M16 during the Vietnam War, and the rifle has been described by other authors as a "phoenix" rising again and again when the U.S . Reports state the soldier in question had no time to scream or to unsheathe his knife, the snake had already knotted tighter around his neck and badly bit his face. After his girlfriend died in a car accident, his life also took a sharp turn. At the time, Yuzuk was a police officer and Flaherty was a member of Aventuras homeless community, camping under a palm tree off one of the citys main boulevards. After DNA testing confirmed his identity, the remains were removed from the tomb and returned to Blassie's family, but the Medal of Honor remained as a tribute to those . There is an average of five names per line. You can view the full DCAS record for an individual named in the list via the Access to Archival Databases resource, or AAD. These guerrillas were fighting the colonial power of France. After a few brushes with law enforcement, Flaherty reportedly worked as a confidential informant for the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in the early 1980s before becoming homeless in Aventura by 1990. Richard Flaherty returned from war and studied at the University of Miami in Florida. During this deployment, he would be promoted to captain, earn two Bronze Stars and would be wounded in combat two times, receiving a Purple Heart for each time. I didnt know.. Just sitting and waiting. Lots of tunnel rats used the standard-issue colt. Special Forces Soldiers from the U.S. Army's 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) exfiltrate a Counter Improvised Explosive Device lane in a via MRZR off-road utility vehicle at Panzer Local . that is degrading to another person. soldier has to be fit both physically and mentally to endure the hardship in an adverse environment such as a battle field. His Silver Star citation offers a brief glimpse to Flaherty, the man. Not until 1995 did Vietnam release its official estimate of war dead: as many as 2 million civilians on both sides and some 1.1 million North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters. Keep it Clean. Marine Corps: (Accession and Regular Standards) Male - 18%. Yuzuk said it was not long after he moved to Florida in 1999 and joined the Aventura Police Department that he noticed Flaherty. Capt. That did not deter Flaherty. According to studies conducted during the war, after one year of service, the hearing and smell of a typical tunnel rat became sixty percent better than that of an average man. Well anything under 4'10" is legally a disability under the law. The two began meeting more frequently, and Yuzuk became so fascinated with Flahertys story that he asked permission to tell it in the form of a documentary. This early condition stunted his growth. The soldiers then camouflaged the pit using natural undergrowth, mud, or crops. Thankfully, Richard Flahertys story lives on, as he shared it with David Yuzuk, a local police officer, before his death. What it also doesn't mention in the video is how absolutely ruthless this dude was. Current standards for men is 60-80 inches tall. Although he is the subject of a new documentary available on Amazon Prime and iTunes and a soon-to-be-released book, the full story of Capt. How can we help? He indicated that while Flahertys survivors had planned on the burial taking place at Arlington National Cemetery, they honored his wish to be buried in West Virginia. One Viet Cong technique was to slit a mans throat or garrotte him as he came up through a connecting trap door; this often did not phase the men. But due to the Vietnam draft they would have likely taken him anyway if that was his only disqualifier from serving. After completing basic training, Richard Flaherty qualified for Infantry Officer Candidate School, earning the rank of second lieutenant. Another particularly horrific tactic became known as the spike ball or the mace. In addition to exposing himself to enemy fire while leading the charge on the bunker, Flaherty displayed extraordinary heroism while engaged in close combat with a well dug-in enemy force, in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.. Click Today's Obituaries to view all of the listings. Answer (1 of 17): I didn't serve in Vietnam. Finally, some of the unique training centers would provide tunnel system replicas. He deployed for the first time in 1968 as part of the 101st Airborne Division, acting as a platoon and reconnaissance platoon leader with companies B, C, D and E. While making parachute jumps, Flaherty would be the first to leap, so his men could see where the wind took him and ensure he didnt get carried somewhere alone because of his light weight. MILTON The shortest soldier to serve in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, a highly decorated officer who completed one tour of duty as a platoon leader with an airborne battalion and another as a Green Beret captain, lies at rest in an as-yet unmarked grave in a Milton cemetery. [8], https://blog.theveteranssite.greatergood.com/smallest-beret-vet/, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, https://www.facebook.com/TheGiantKIllerDocumentary/, Special Forces Operations Detachment A (SFODA) Commander, "Giant Killer: Richard James Flaherty's life", "Height-waiver Green Beret: Captain James Flaherty was a Special Forces legend", "Vietnam Vet Richard Flaherty Was 'The Giant Killer', "Decorated Vietnam War veteran killed by hit-and-run driver", "Police Identify Aventura Hit-and-Run Victim as Decorated War Veteran", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_J._Flaherty&oldid=1142406371, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 05:58. Richard Flaherty was just a kid I knew briefly in high school. Either way, that's a lot of soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen, male and female that made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and there are still people dying as a result of their wounds receiver so very long ago in a place called Vietnam. It has a rating of 7.4 on IMDb. Many knew him over the last decade and a half of his life as a nameless little homeless guy in Hallandale, but he was much more than that. Upon enlisting, Richard became the shortest soldier in US military history. Similarly, one American soldier highlighted how they liked to soften things up by throwing in one or more hand grenades before sending in tunnel rats. In 1970 he was reassigned to the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Devens. Tho claims the Viet Cong prepared both the necessary troops and assembled the supplies needed in these tunnels to conduct the Tet Offensive of 1968. The stakes would then spear any soldier that fell into the pit. They have given so much and suffered so much. Photo credit: Funker530. You can check it out here. Tyler Perry wrote and will direct the story of an all-female, all-Black battalion that served in Europe. Its not slick but it is fascinating. Lauri Trni (Larry Thorne) in his three military uniforms. He stood at just 49 tall. His height was no object, however, and he put together an impressive record, with the honors to match. Johns Hopkins University. Meanwhile, Flahertys burial spot, just behind Lisa Davis Annesss grave, remains unmarked as another Veterans Day approaches. Flaherty was 2 inches too short and 6 lb. Once his weight had increased enough, he petitioned his Congressman, Rep. Donald J. Irwin (D-CT), to fill out a waiver to allow him to enlist, despite his short stature. He served as both an A and B detachment Commander. Of course, the local Vietnamese population designed the tunnels with their own size in mind. At 4 9 and 97 pounds, Richard J. Flaherty was the smallest and most unconventional man to serve in the U.S. military and needed a congressional waiver just to join the Army. Yuzuk told the West Virginia Gazette that he hopes the documentary will make people think twice about judging the homeless. He returned to Vietnam in 1969 and was stationed there until 1971. Anness, who died in 2005, was the daughter of an Army captain, and traveled the world with her military family before settling in Miami, where she earned an MBA at the University of Miami and worked as a consultant. BCT included lessons on hand-to-hand combat, chemical-warfare defense, map reading, first aid, bayonet fighting, guard duty, and the use of hand grenades. SS recruiters for the division accepted boys as young as 14 into the . In hindsight, listening to the Viet Cong talk about their experiences in these tunnels, it appears more training certainly would have benefitted the American cause. He eraned the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, and 2 Purple Hearts -smallestsoldier.com . Yuzuk was stunned by both the sudden loss of a friend and the realization that he would need to do his own detective work to discover what Flaherty had not gotten around to telling him about his life. Protests to end the war in 1965. Approximately 2.7 million American men and women served in Vietnam. He says of Flaherty, I think that Vietnam tortured Richard.. Captain Flaherty's Irish lineage is traced back to his grandfather Joseph Patrick Flaherty who was born in the Aran islands and his grandmother Bridget Smythe was born in the village of Feakle next to the Sliabh Aughty Mountains. He first deployed to Southeast Asia in 1968 as a member of the 101st Airborne Division. Just 10 days before Flaherty's death, Flaherty told Yuzuk his story. He was the shortest US serviceman in history. limit, but he could do nothing about the height part. Richard Flaherty had to get a waiver to join the Army during the Vietnam War. Huge bees, gigantic rats, centipedes, spiders, snakes, bats, and fire ants (to name a few) plagued these tunnels. In 1980, recognizing the cruelty of such devices, the Geneva Convention banned them as weaponry. Photo credit: The New York Times. It was only after a determined effort, which included the involvement of his local Congressman, that he managed to acquire a waiver. I didnt believe him at first, Yuzuk recalled. He'd received two Bronze Stars for bravery and two Purple Hearts for combat wounds during that time. The Viet Cong used this to their advantage to scare, and even kill, American soldiers. Richard J. Flaherty may never be known. Many American men were trying to avoid serving the U.S. military in the 1960s and 1970s. In a contemporary interview, he had said that Ive taken a lot of kidding about my size. You could not help but notice him. Alternate title, "Dating on tinder when you're 5'11" or shorter". These homeless veterans deserve more from us. Initially, America used hunting dogs to locate the enemy. The War also claimed the lives of approximately 200,000 allied soldiers in Vietnam, nearly one million North Vietnamese/ Communist allied deaths . He was working on finding a way to join. Amazingly, these tunnel rat soldiers were volunteers. Vietnam Veterans represent the largest cohort of American Veterans in . Jeremiah Purdie (center) is led past a stricken comrade after a fierce firefight for control of Hill 484. As a student, she worked in a variety of research positions, including as an archivist. But I bet he would have gotten in during the OIF surge if he wanted to. Captain Flaherty is the shortest man to have served in the Army's Special Forces Regiment. I just tell them Im 35 pounds of muscle, 14 pounds of dynamite and one pound of uranium-238, and it gets a lot of laughs.. By the time RichardFlaherty graduated from high school in 1966, the US was already heavily involved in Vietnam. Retired, David enjoys writing, walking on hikes, and spending time with his dog Simon. Even if they could deal with the claustrophobic conditions, air and artillery support had not prepared them for the type of old-fashioned combat that relied on savage behavior, individual strength, guts, and cunningness. Vietnam Vet Richard Flaherty Was 'The Giant Killer', A Second Member of the Worlds Biggest Music Group Joins the Army, A Netflix Movie About WWII's Legendary 6888th Postal Battalion Starts Filming, Best War Movies Streaming Right Now on Netflix, Arnold Schwarzenegger Is 'FUBAR' in Upcoming Spy Series. Jan 31, 2021 - MILTON The shortest soldier to serve in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, a highly decorated officer who completed one tour of duty as a platoon leader with He was awarded a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts during his service. Tunnel Rat soldier with his gas mask and gun. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. It was if he was hardening himself up for some special task.. He used to spend all day at a movie theater. Captured U.S. pilot major Dewey Waddell is guarded by a militiawoman with a gun and a bayonet on a rice field. Yuzuk came to know Richard Flaherty, not just as a homeless man, but as a man of intelligence and goodness. Already well-adapted to subterranean life, many insects and animals of the Vietnamese jungle found the underground tunnels to be a worthy living environment. He went back to Southeast Asia with the 46th Special Forces Company as a Special Forces Operational Detachment A (SFODA) commander. The Viet Cong also made use of explosive booby traps and pressure detonated mines. Oct 15, 2015 Ian Harvey, Guest Author. Consequently, given the average smaller size of Vietnamese men, tunnel rat soldiers, by necessity, were the shortest, skinniest, and most limber men in the army: a maximum height of 1.58 meters. He was later reassigned to the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. In fact, on one occasion he was able to save several of his men who had been trapped by heavy enemy fire. Was the shortest soldier in US military history a CIA operative who had been assassinated? The following year, 1971, he was discharged from active duty and transferred to the Army Reserves, where he served until 1983. Copyright 2023 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. Larry Burrows / Getty Images. pearl harbor. Remote-controlled explosive charges and small smoke grenades kits were primarily to signal exit locations to fellow comrades. Once the Viet Cong caught on to what was happening, they began to use the same soap the Americans used. Wakeman wrote numerous letters home detailing her love of rushing at the enemy amid gunfire . We owe them the dignity that they deserve. As you may have guessed, life expectancy was low. Since completing her degrees, she has decided to take a step back from academia to focus her career on writing and sharing history in a more accessible way. From this point, they were to seek out enemy soldiers or potential hiding spaces where they may have once been. We won't share it with anyone else. *The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement. Needless to say, sadly many of those Americans who did enter the tunnels ended up dying. But due to the Vietnam draft they would have likely taken him anyway if that was his only disqualifier from serving. This would-be Captain America was just 49, three inches too short for Army service. Photo credit: Funker360. He returned to the US at the end of his tour and attended Special Forces Officer Course at Fort Bragg. He had crossed the DMZ back into South Vietnam where he was shot as he was recaptured. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died in the war. He appealed to his Connecticut Senator, Christopher Dodd, and was able to get a special waiver into the Army. Under Lieutenant Flahertys astute direction and leadership, the enemy bunker was swiftly destroyed, enabling his platoon to advance and continue its devastating attack against the enemy.. Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old. Why they volunteered varied person to person, but one American soldier speculated volunteers were trying sometimes to make up for problematic lives back home or to prove their manhood in truly testing conditions. The same soldier noted that once rats conquered their fear, assuming they survived, some even came to like their work for the rats, the light at the end of the tunnel was usually a VC with a candle.. It turned out to be a lot. By 1990, the US Army veterans was homeless and living in Aventura, Florida. Despite this, Yuzuk honored his friend by producing a documentary called The Giant Killer,which tells the full story of Richard Flahertys service in Vietnam and his life after he returned to the US. To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. It is here that his story begins to take many twists and turns. You were a mighty man. Yes, somehow he became lost and fell through the cracks of a societal structure that did not understand, or know how to care for the veterans coming back from Vietnam with their nightmares, and their troubling inability to fit back in with the rest of society. Consequently, given the average smaller size of Vietnamese men, tunnel rat soldiers, by necessity, were the shortest, skinniest, and most limber men in the army: a maximum height of 1.58 meters. Flahertys death made Yuzuks effort a lot harder, but he was undeterred. He was a Platoon Leader and Recon Platoon Leader with companies B, C, D, & E. Flaherty participated in some fierce combat outside of Hue City during the Tet Offensive which earned him a Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars and 2 Purple Hearts.[4]. Females have other settings, but still, they're also not allowed when not being tall enough). Proceeding cautiously, they moved in enough until a fellow soldier could fit into the tunnel with them. The incompatibilities in the blood caused hormonal imbalances and stunted his growth. Here are 10 of the most dangerous: 1. This network connected villages, cities, and districts. Of those killed, 61% were younger than 21 years old. Greek Army veteran (National service with 575th Marines Battalion and Army HQ). Not only was he the shortest Green Beret to serve in Vietnam, he was also the shortest US serviceman in history. The War also claimed the lives of approximately 200,000 allied soldiers in Vietnam, nearly one million North Vietnamese/ Communist allied deaths, and an incomprehensible number of civilians. Flaherty returned to the U.S. later that year, and graduated from the Armys Special Warfare School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, becoming a member of the elite Green Berets. Rosemary Giles is a history content writer with Hive Media. Indirect Fire Infantrymen (MOS 11C), Combat Engineers (MOS 12B), and Bridge Crewmembers (MOS 12C) also have short . In riveting rifle, rucksack style author, David Yuzuk takes you deep into the jungles of Vietnam to walk in the combat boots of America's smallest soldier, Richard Flaherty. I am going to cite some data here and I wish I could recall the sourcesI don't have them. In his death, however, he found his home next to the woman he had loved, Lisa Anness Davis. Tunnel rat soldiers often used flashlights to guide the way and thus warned the enemy of their presence. As each day passed he would cut the stick off another notch until on his rotation day he was left with only a small stub. When the Vietnam War heated up, Flaherty volunteered for the Army. After 15 years of friendship, Flaherty finally confessed, Its time I tell you who I really am. Only 10 days later Flaherty would be killed in a bizarre hit and run. During these ongoing operations, he gained a reputation for intelligence, and the CIA in the late 1970s recruited him to supply the Contras in Central America with weapons and cash. Despite the superior firepower of the American military, the determination of the Viet Cong was on another level entirely. A small donation goes a long way. An average Liberian woman is 155.66cm (5 feet 1.28 inches) tall. Giant Killer: The incredible mysterious life of the shortest US soldier A dwarf, a Vietnam hero, a CIA operative, and a homeless man the almost unbelievable life of Richard James Flaherty. Flaherty was killed during a hit and run attack on May 9, 2015, in Miami. He led a charge, which succeeded in pushing out the enemy. I wonder that he could get into the army in the first place? He also weighed less than 100 pounds, further disqualifying him from serving in the Army. 58,169 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.59 million who served. Flaherty served with the 101st Airborne during Vietnam. Though Americans, Australians, and New Zealanders claim to know these hideouts existed, they overlooked their size and importance. He ended up leading a reconnaissance platoon, showing great . Or were his missions something much darker? Click here to stay informed and subscribe to Herald-Dispatch. It was a horrendous ordeal to face and brought even the toughest of men to tears. Flaherty was born to a mother who, unknown to her, had a blood type that made her second-born son vulnerable to oxygen deprivation in his infancy, which stunted his growth. Tragically, he was killed in a hit and run during the early hours of May 9, 2015. Primary Source. He would see Flaherty and talk with him every day; they would even eat lunch together. All of that ends when hes arrested for possession of gun silencers. 75,000 Vietnam veterans are severely disabled. Still, his skills, tenacity, and leadership can tear down an entire enemys. They helped conduct military operations on behalf of communist forces. You see, he did not meet the minimum height and weight requirements. Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don't miss out on updates. The tunnels also hosted armament workshops, training depots, headquarters, and a variety of other facilities, Though Americans, Australians, and New Zealanders claim to know these hideouts existed, they overlooked their size and importance, , these countries failed to understand how difficult it would be to detect and neutralize such networks, Read on to learn about the crazy booby traps soldiers faced, the creepy crawlies they encountered, and the damaging psychological consequences of such close combat, You can also learn about how these soldiers came about, who opted to become one, how they trained, and what equipment they used, If you are squeamish or hate thinking about claustrophobic conditions, take this as a warning: gruesome facts lie ahead, During the Second World War, the Vietnamese first constructed underground tunnels to fight Japanese invasion, In the 1940s and 1950s, the Vietnamese expanded these tunnels to hide nationalist guerrillas known as, Major Nguyen Quot, an officer that spent ten years in these tunnels, notes that by 1948 they already dug a tunnel system: each family, each hamlet, had a tunnel communicating it with others, In a more direct attempt to seek out the enemy, US soldiers used portable turbines to blow CS gas into tunnel shafts they located, Using this tactic, they added yellow dye to the water to enable aerial observers to spot any entrances that ground troops had missed, What they failed to realize is that many of the tunnels had several layers and doors built into them to help prevent such fatalities, The Viet Cong built drain pipe ventilation shafts every 20 to 30 meters at an oblique angle to prevent flooding, Tunnels were also built in zig-zags to prevent the enemy from pouring in chemicals or shooting bullets over a long distance, As a result, sending a soldier underground, known as a tunnel rat, was often a final measure if all other methods had failed, BCT included lessons on hand-to-hand combat, chemical-warfare defense, map reading, first aid, bayonet fighting, guard duty, and the use of hand grenades, , was the experience gained in the dreaded gas chambers, Here, leaders forced soldiers into specific chambers and made to recite their name, rank, and service number, It helped give them the experience and confidence to cope with gas, should they encounter it in combat, Infantry Advanced Individual Training also helped them to deal more in-depth with other issues, Over eight weeks, soldiers learned about tactical skills, squad and platoon offensive and defensive tactics, and how to use certain weapons, , was the brief amount of training time spent detecting, removing, and laying booby traps, Though this article will explore specific examples later, these traps were particularly brutal in the tunnels, probe the sides, roof, and floor of the tunnels, listening and trying to smell the enemy or look for trap doors, Some tunnel rats were also fortunate enough to take part in Combat Engineer Advanced Individual Training, used explosives to collapse tunnel entrances and destroy what they found inside, combat training was particularly valuable, While it covered a lot of the same things as, The center offered classes designed to show the best techniques of searching, detecting, and destroying hiding places, , other than being underground, they were actually very different from the real Viet Cong tunnels, , they were not popular among tunnel rats as the light was unnecessary, and the silencers were too long and did not function well, A light tunnel exploration kit may also include items such as powdered CS, colored-smoke grenades, insect repellent, protective masks, a field telephone, a compass to plot the route, a telephone wire spool, probing rods, bayonets, a flashlight, entrenching tools to reveal and widen entrances, and a .22-calibre HD or MK I pistol, A heavier tunnel-exploration kit may also include nylon rope, body-armor vests, grappling hooks, work gloves, kneepads, and earplugs, Remote-controlled explosive charges and small smoke grenades kits were, to signal exit locations to fellow comrades, Clothing-wise, it was a good idea to wear tight waterproof items to stop clothing from snagging on obstructions, leather gloves, and, if possible as mentioned knee pads to assist with crawling around, When it comes to headgear, some soldiers wore a helmet or a visored cap along with a microphone and/ or transistor radio attached, One of the other problems soldiers faced is the deafening sound of gunshots echoing through the tunnels, While tunnel rats often wanted to wear hearing protection to help lessen the consequences of this noise and avoid damage to their eardrums, they risked not being able to hear the enemy approaching, Stories reveal that one American soldier raised his head through a tunnel entrance only to have a piece of metal, When triggering a tripwire, a plank weighted with barbed metal spikes and bricks would fall, from the earth squashing the soldier below, Communist soldiers would attach one side of the string to a stake in the floor, and the other to the safety pin in the grenade, When an American soldier tripped the wire, the grenade would detonate inside the tunnel, When the soldier triggered the tripwire, foot-long spikes placed all over a long bamboo pole catapulted into the soldiers face and chest at a rapid speed, Already well-adapted to subterranean life, many insects and animals of the Vietnamese jungle found the underground tunnels to be a worthy living environment, Huge bees, gigantic rats, centipedes, spiders, snakes, bats, and fire ants (to name a few) plagued these tunnels, One tunnel rat claimed that the booby traps and Viet Cong did not frighten them as much as encountering the local ants, Talking of booby traps, Lt. Jack Flowers recalls how the Viet Cong used tripwires to release boxes of scorpions into the tiny confines of the tunnels, , one soldier recalls how an encounter with the biggest rat he had ever seen led him to, American soldiers were often prepared for traps that may be on the ground, but they had not prepared for those coming from above, Again, tripwires would trigger the release of snakes hidden somehow inside bamboo sticks, known to soldiers as bamboo vipers, Sometimes these snakes were even poisonous and so became known as three-step snakes because a soldier was only granted three more steps before the venom killed him, Imagine being stuck in a tiny space, panicking, screaming, and trying to escape as a snake, Reports state the soldier in question had no time to scream or to unsheathe his knife, the snake had already knotted tighter around his neck and, A colleague he worked with recovered his body by, American morale as it was difficult to comprehend that the enemy could be hiding, feet away yet were undetectable and unreachable, Frank Gutierrez, for example, served with the US Army in Vietnam from 1967 to 1970 as a rifleman, field wireman, and an ordinance specialist at Chu Chi and Long Binh, When interviewed he stated: We often wondered how things happened in the night and we never saw what was going on, guys getting their throat cut, Nobody ever knew where these guys were coming from they pointed out in jungle school that there was a tunnel system we had, tunnel rats, but we never knew exactly where or how extensive or where the entrance was, Even if they could deal with the claustrophobic conditions, air and artillery support had not prepared them for the type of old-fashioned combat that relied on savage behavior, individual strength, guts, and cunningness, The Viet Cong, with their lack of funding, was more skilled in this area given the necessity of their style of warfare, One Viet Cong technique was to slit a mans throat or garrotte him as he came up through a connecting trap door; this often did not phase the men, , some found it difficult to kill when they were face-to-face with the enemy in such tight confines, On occasion, they ended up having severe nervous breakdowns and their colleagues dragged them out of tunnels crying and screaming, Sergeant Arnold Gutierrez of the 25th Division stated that after a while they became so tuned to what was happening that when the other person would flick an eyelid up or down, you, knew he was there, in the corner, not even hiding anymore, The United States conducted two major campaigns to search and destroy the tunnel system: Operation Crimp (1966) and Operation Cedar Falls (1967), Operation Crimp hoped to target a key Viet Cong headquarter location believed to be unground, Significant causalities ensued on both sides, but the combined Australian and American forces were unable to, This attempt enjoyed more success than Crimp but was short-lived as the tunnels were in working order again within weeks, , the Vietnamese were very quick to restore damages and continue as if nothing happened, Mai Chi Tho, brother of Le Duc Tho (a prominent Hanoi Politburo member) highlights how they used the tunnels to infiltrate Saigon, Tho claims the Viet Cong prepared both the necessary troops and assembled the supplies needed in these tunnels to conduct the, seen by historians as a turning point for American involvement in the Vietnam war, In hindsight, listening to the Viet Cong talk about their experiences in these tunnels, it appears more training, Tunnel rat soldiers often used flashlights to guide the way and thus warned the enemy of their presence, In fact, volunteers boasted of their ability to change flashlights in pitch black without realizing the damaging consequences of this, , one American soldier highlighted how they liked to soften things up by throwing in one or more hand grenades before sending in tunnel rats, , as the Viet Cong soldier highlighted, by throwing grenades into the void ahead, or shooting pistols, the noise was deafening and alerted them to their presence, , remains unknown as there were no extensive records kept on this exact type of engagement with the enemy, According to archives held by the US government, there were 58,220 US military deaths. His three military uniforms another Veterans day approaches ended up dying early hours of 9! In US military history a CIA operative who had been trapped by heavy enemy fire inches ) tall the! Dont know about Cotton and it shows some of the Vietnamese first constructed tunnels... All of that ends when hes arrested for possession of gun silencers on may 9 2015... Her love of rushing at the enemy from active duty and transferred to the 10th Special Forces at. Infantry Officer Candidate School, earning the rank of Second lieutenant them off means losing a bit skin! Him at first, yuzuk recalled Flaherty 's death, Flaherty was during! Mud, or AAD to avoid serving the U.S. military in the North Vietnamese in. Training at Fort Devens the Americans used and ended his service in Vietnam a... Pressure detonated mines locations to fellow comrades Vietnamese booby traps estimated that between 200,000 and South!, or crops Trni ( Larry Thorne ) in his three military uniforms a leader... 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