shortest soldier in vietnam
The Viet Cong amassed around 250 kilometers of underground tunnels. Her research focused on military, environmental, and Canadian history with a specific focus on the Second World War. All rights reserved. Again, tripwires would trigger the release of snakes hidden somehow inside bamboo sticks, known to soldiers as bamboo vipers. 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. A few years later, we started talking. While it covered a lot of the same things as infantry training, it focused more on map reading, knot-tying, navigation, use of hand and power tools, camouflage, constructing barbed-wire obstacles, mine laying, and mine detection. Proceeding cautiously, they moved in enough until a fellow soldier could fit into the tunnel with them. The War also claimed the lives of approximately 200,000 allied soldiers in Vietnam, nearly one million North Vietnamese/ Communist allied deaths . Millions of Americans and tens of thousands of veterans and soldiers opposed the war in Vietnam. This article was originally published 1/7/2021. Copyright 2023 Military.com. These guerrillas were fighting the colonial power of France. On January 27, 1973, the Paris Peace Accords were signed, officially bringing to an end the American war in Vietnam. 58,169 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.59 million who served. No offense intended, but most armies have minimal-height, like here in my country you can't go to the army or police when being less than 1.55m as a man (don't know if this is still accurate, but it was in the past. Photo credit: The Chive. I quote the half-inch ants have such a powerful bite that to pull them off means losing a bit of skin. In the late 1970s, he was sent to supply the Contras in Central America with weapons and cash. In the war's moral outrages, crimes and betrayals, many saw the US empire for the first time. Phases of captures. 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. In 1970 he was reassigned to the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Devens. Well anything under 4'10" is legally a disability under the law. He returned to Vietnam in 1969 and was stationed there until 1971. A particular Special Forces member, Capt. He had been the victim of a hit-and-run car accident. If you include the near-nine years of fighting that took place during the First Indochina War, add that tally to the 20-year war in Vietnam, you understand why the conflict is sometimes referred to as the Ten Thousand Day War, that number more or less equating to 30 years. Please support The Veterans Site by adding us to your ad blockers whitelist ads help us to provide food and supplies to veterans. 11 talking about this. The shortest soldier to fight in Vietnam was a Green Beret. Standing at 4 feet, 11 inches, Popoca may be the shortest Soldier during missions, but she has a "tiny but mighty" mindset, she said. After his service in Vietnam, Richard Flaherty applied for Special Forces training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. There is a story about Flaherty being involved in a federal investigation that ended in the arrest of two Green Berets in the 1980s. He located witnesses and found documentation in a storage unit that revealed that even while homeless, Flaherty was still conducting clandestine missions around the worldCambodia, Iraq, Jordan, Venezuelabut who was he working for? The action took place on April 20, 1968, when Flahertys platoon was ambushed and came under withering enemy fire. 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 really knew he was there, in the corner, not even hiding anymore. *Warning: Some people may find these pictures disturbing.*. Snakes were also commonly used traps inside these tunnels. He said he hopes the movie makes people think twice before being dismissive or hateful toward the homeless, many of whom are veterans, and make politicians think carefully before sending American men and women to foreign places to kill people. 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 . However, he was eventually arrested for possession of gun silencers and removed from the agency. Lieutenant Flaherty immediately called a 90 Millimeter recoilless rifle team to his position after having spotted an enemy bunker position to his front, which was delivering automatic weapons fire on his platoon. In one interview, tunnel rat soldier CW Bowman recalled how his fellow colleagues bet money on the fact he would not live through his whole tour as the job was so dangerous. Tiger traps were also particularly violent. He left the Army in 1971 at the rank of captain due to a reduction in force. 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 . Capt. U.S. involvement in the Southeast Asian country had more than doubled from 1965. Statements in the storage unit showed that he had several thousand dollars in bank accounts, while a passport and receipts from a travel agent indicated that during the time he was homeless, he had made trips to such countries as Jordan, Venezuela, Thailand, Singapore and Cambodia. Related: How to make it through Special Forces selection. 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. Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas) represents Texas' 3rd congressional . The army sent in tunnel rat soldiers with the aim of locating the enemy, finding their resources, and cutting off their supplies. That special task began to take shape in September 1966, when Flaherty received a letter from Rep. Donald J. Irwin, D-Conn., informing him that the Armys Surgeon General had recommended granting a waiver to the height requirement. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. Once the Viet Cong caught on to what was happening, they began to use the same soap the Americans used. * Born and raised in Brooklyn N.Y., David Yuzuk attended the University of Stony Brook on a football scholarship. 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. A colleague dragged him out before he grabbed a frag and threw it into the hole too. You see, he was so light, everyone would watch to see which way the wind would take him, so that they would not lose him. My three-year journey of discovery dragged me down the rabbit hole of CIA conspiracies and the hunt for stolen classified weaponsstretching from the bloody jungles of Vietnam to the dangerous streets of Iraq and Venezuela, all in search of the peripatetic Green Beret Captain Richard J. Flaherty, Yuzuk said. In 1966, the Army issued six tunnel-exploration tester kits. In the battle of Quang Tri, during the Tet Offensive in 1968 . The Viet Cong also made use of explosive booby traps and pressure detonated mines. The Viet Cong, with their lack of funding, was more skilled in this area given the necessity of their style of warfare. He served as an SFODA Commander in companies A and B. When he graduated OCS and his Special Forces training, he volunteered for combat duty with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. 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. 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 Richard Flaherty was just a kid I knew briefly in high school. Four-foot, nine-inch tall veteran Richard J. Flaherty claimed to be the shortest man ever to serve in the United States military. The following year, 1971, he was discharged from active duty and transferred to the Army Reserves, where he served until 1983. ", People dont know about Cotton and it shows. He began to eat and stay in fighting shape, as he was an avid sportsman in high school, especially good at martial arts. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. We can imagine that it may have had something to do with his Vietnam combat experiences. American soldiers were often prepared for traps that may be on the ground, but they had not prepared for those coming from above. While many draft-age males of that era sought ways to avoid being among the 385,000 troops sent to the beleaguered Southeast Asian nation that year, Flaherty was working the angles to find a way in. When it came time to weigh in, Flaherty barely tipped the scale of 100 pounds. Most likely a member of the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" which sustained 43% casualties during the Normandy campaign. top . The life expectancy of a radio operator in the Vietnam War ranged between five to six seconds all the way up to a slightly-more-optimistic thirty seconds, depending on your source. He had crossed the DMZ back into South Vietnam where he was shot as he was recaptured. vietnam war memorial. Another particularly horrific tactic became known as the spike ball or the mace. 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. Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don't miss out on updates. 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. This is a story about a real American military hero. But it wasnt easy. Despite the superior firepower of the American military, the determination of the Viet Cong was on another level entirely. He earned the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars (w/V, 3OLC), and 2 Purple Hearts. lkunl/Shutterstock. 45 calibers with a seven-round magazine as they were readily available. Every group would do things differently. In fact, volunteers boasted of their ability to change flashlights in pitch black without realizing the damaging consequences of this. What it also doesn't mention in the video is how absolutely ruthless this dude was. A small donation goes a long way. Send the smallest soldier to clear the VC ratholes. See what its like to jump out of a C-17 with the Armys 82nd Airborne, How to make it through Special Forces selection, How one unusual vehicle helped create Americas Special Forces, Special Forces officer slated to lead NATO special operations, This new Special Forces video mixes history and heroism in the best ways, 8 Green Berets on what it means to be Army Special Forces, ST Idaho: The Special Forces team that vanished in the jungle, Putin has a Problem: Russia can barely build any tanks to fight in Ukraine, Controlling killer swarms of swarms: Inside DARPAs AMASS, The Marine Corps is closing down its Scout Sniper platoons, Get Out: Making The Most of a Duty Station. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. Due to the blood type, his growth was stunted which resulted in him being diagnosed with dwarfism.[2]. What they failed to realize is that many of the tunnels had several layers and doors built into them to help prevent such fatalities. She received both her bachelor of arts degree in history, and her master of arts degree in history from Western University. A group of soldiers would then charge the gap to hopefully get a foothold and allow other troops to pile in. 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. His friend decides to investigate and finds a passport that shows Flaherty was secretly traveling to dangerous locations like Jordan, Iraq, Thailand, Vietnam, and Venezuela while living as a homeless man. I didnt know.. Theres a documentary on his life/death. Current standards for men is 60-80 inches tall. He was later reassigned to the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. M. He is believed to have worked as a military contractor throughout Africa and most notably in Rhodesia and Angola. He was an American hero of great stature. Infantry Advanced Individual Training also helped them to deal more in-depth with other issues. Still, his skills, tenacity, and leadership can tear down an entire enemys. At the end of him career he had such bad PTSD that he pretty much couldn't function in a normal way and spent for the most part the remainder of his life homeless. 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.. One of the other problems soldiers faced is the deafening sound of gunshots echoing through the tunnels. Flaherty is buried in an unmarked grave in Milton, West Virginia. [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. Flaherty served with the 101st Airborne & the 3rd Special Forces Group. After completing basic training, Richard Flaherty qualified for Infantry Officer Candidate School, earning the rank of second lieutenant. Flaherty was the shortest of these elite soldiers, standing at only four feet, nine inches tall. He was always recommending books and talking about philosophy, work and politics and eventually giving me advice. 58,148 were killed in Vietnam, 75,000 severely disabled, 23,214 were 100% disabled, 5,283 lost limbs and 1,081 sustained multiple amputations. On parachute operations he was always the first out of the plane. Just 10 days before Flaherty's death, Flaherty told Yuzuk his story. Since tunnel rats extensively used explosives to collapse tunnel entrances and destroy what they found inside, combat training was particularly valuable. In a 1977 interview with the Associated Press, a Vietcong survivor recalled how the Americans wasted so much time pulling their dead back that it gave them time to re-group and prepare accordingly. One American man was trying anything to get in. On November 28, 1945, doctors in Stamford Connecticut's Regional Hospital intensely worked to save newborn Richard James Flahertys life. They reported to Aventura police that they had seen what looked like a body in some bushes alongside the road. By 1990, he was homeless and living on the streets of Aventura, Florida. While it was a big fight to even get in the Army, Richard's height never impeded his ability to serve. This way, they smelled the same as the GIs and the dogs became unable to locate the enemy. pearl harbor. ODA was tasked with training the Royal Thai Army in counterinsurgency operations and prepare them for a deployment to Vietnam. He was the smallest man on campus. It is here that his story begins to take many twists and turns. The first point to keep in mind is that there was a lot of "tail" in Vietnam. 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. But many others were poor or working-class teenagers who enlisted or were drafted into the military right out of high school. So for a combat soldier, there was about a 10% chance of being killed in action. For his leadership and heroism, he was awarded the Silver Star. 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. None of these wars were longer than the Afghan war, anyway.] New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Press J to jump to the feed. Flaherty led his platoon in a flanking assault on the enemy position, during which an NVA bunker was spotted. Doctors from Stamford Connecticut's Regional Hospital worked intensely to save the newborn as his mother wasn't aware of her blood group of Rh-negative. [5] Fifteen years before Flaherty's death, he was befriended by Miami Police officer David Yuzuk after Flaherty became homeless. Flaherty was killed on May 9, 2015 in a hit and run. 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. Be Proactive. During the course of two tours in Vietnam, because of his size, Flaherty often did tunnel rat searches. According to archives held by the US government, there were 58,220 US military deaths overall as a result of the Vietnam War. He ended up leading a reconnaissance platoon, showing great . Indirect Fire Infantrymen (MOS 11C), Combat Engineers (MOS 12B), and Bridge Crewmembers (MOS 12C) also have short . Richard James Flaherty (November 28, 1945 May 9, 2015) was a captain in the United States Army who served in the Vietnam War.Due to his small stature (he was just 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 m) tall), he was known as "The Giant Killer". Most helpful for tunnel rats, however, was the brief amount of training time spent detecting, removing, and laying booby traps. The center offered classes designed to show the best techniques of searching, detecting, and destroying hiding places. . Photo credit: American Yesteryear Metal Signs. 11,465 of those killed were younger than 20 years old. At 4-foot-nine-inches tall and 97-pounds he was the. He was still denied entry into the Army. By 1990, the US Army veterans was homeless and living in Aventura, Florida. 7'3" Jakob Nacken (221 cm), the tallest German soldier of WW2, chatting with 5'7" (170 cm) Eddie Worth, AP photographer with the wartime still picture pool, after his surrender. If you're looking for the best war movies on Netflix we're here to help you stop the scrolling, move past the algorithm and An aging CIA agent gets pulled back in for one more mission. Richard J. Flaherty with two classmates at Officer Candidate School in 1967 (Photo: David Yuzuk / Laptrinhx.com ). After successfully graduating the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC), also known as Q course, Flaherty was assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group. A cemetery employee said the appropriate relatives have been contacted and a marker has been ordered and is expected to be set in place early next year. In his new life as a civilian, Flaherty studied at the University of Miami in Florida, but entered a period of despondency after a girlfriend died in a car wreck in 1975. . BTS will be on hiatus until all seven members complete their mandatory military service in South Korea. Despite his size Richard Flaherty had all the heart in the world and it showed when he was platoon leader in Vietnam. But then everything we know about him gets lost in a blur of fragmentary vignettes. The Viet Cong were simply experts at utilizing their surroundings to their advantage. Putting people in that situation changes them. he said. And there was more; he was homeless. Richard Flaherty is laid to rest in an unmarked grave in Milton near Lisa Anness, a woman he described as the love of his life. Between February and March 1973, 591 American servicemen were released by the North Vietnamese. These homeless veterans deserve more from us. 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. To avoid running into issues, tunnel rats remained very cautious of the number of shots they fired. Finding out about him and what he had done since graduating from high school has put me through a roller coaster of emotions. However, Bowman said that he was never that scared of the tunnels; he was so young he believed he was invincible. 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. Yuzuk learns that this unassuming 69-year-old man was a decorated military veteran. 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. He graduated the year before me from Stamford Catholic High School, now known as Trinity Catholic High school. Four-foot, nine-inch tall veteran Richard J. Flaherty claimed to be the shortest man ever to serve in the United States military. Comprised of 12 Special Forces soldiers, an ODA can operate independently behind enemy lines for long periods of time without supervision. Later he's assigned to command Recon's Echo Platoon. Comprised of 12 Special Forces soldiers, an ODA can operate . Pararescue. His ODA was tasked with training the Royal Thai Army in counterinsurgency operations and prepare them for a deployment to Vietnam. It was if he was hardening himself up for some special task.. He met Flaherty as a homeless man in 2000. 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. Flaherty was 2 inches too short and 6 lb. What's the minimum requirement in the US army today? Col. Floyd J. Thompson, who endured nearly nine years of torture, disease and starvation in Vietnam as the longest-held prisoner of war in American history, has died. If they were feeling particularly cruel they may point the sticks downwards at an angle. In 1970, Flaherty was reassigned to the 10th Special Forces Group, where he commanded another ODA and then an Operational Detachment Bravo (ODB), a headquarters element. Though there are . Richard James Flaherty (November 28, 1945 May 9, 2015) was a captain in the United States Army who served in the Vietnam War. 10,422 Vietnam War Soldiers Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images. Wakeman wrote numerous letters home detailing her love of rushing at the enemy amid gunfire . Giant Killers are among us-- author David Yuzuk walked with one and returned with this tale." You had to be a minimum of 5 feet tall and weigh at least 100 lb. Capt. 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. 1968 the A Shau Valley of South Vietnam. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. is the nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 1980 to fund and build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. . Here, leaders forced soldiers into specific chambers and made to recite their name, rank, and service number. 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. [3], He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division during his first tour to Vietnam in 1968 during the Vietnam War. 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]. On average, tunnels in this underground network were 1.2 meters wide and only 0.8 to 1.8 metres high. October 2001 to 2016. [7] Flaherty was buried at Forest Memorial Park in Milton. I wonder that he could get into the army in the first place? Capt. In 1980, recognizing the cruelty of such devices, the Geneva Convention banned them as weaponry. All of that ends when hes arrested for possession of gun silencers. A Soldier's Thoughts. There are some interviews with the men that served under him and they talk about him ordering soldiers to kill civilians and surrendered VC. According to an article in the Stamford Advocate, Flahertys body was found by two joggers. Equally, these countries failed to understand how difficult it would be to detect and neutralize such networks. 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. 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Lot of & quot ; in Vietnam was a Green Beret elite soldiers, an ODA can operate behind! And Angola of Second lieutenant long periods of time without supervision 2 inches too and... Returned to Vietnam in 1968 was later reassigned to the 10th Special Forces soldiers, an ODA can.! Country had more than doubled from 1965 empire for the first out of the tunnels several... This area given the necessity of their ability to change flashlights in pitch black without realizing the consequences. Know about Cotton and it shows and allow other troops to pile in J.! There was a decorated military veteran specific focus on the enemy, finding resources! On may 9, 2015 in a blur of fragmentary vignettes April,... Into the military right out of 2.59 million who served: David Yuzuk after became! Scale of 100 pounds one American man was a Green Beret 1970s, he was.... Memorial Park in Milton, West Virginia the cruelty of such devices, the US veterans! 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