shortest soldier in vietnamkevin mannix boston herald
Both known as the shortest soldiers in their units, each would serve in numerous battles as soldiers. U.S. involvement in the Southeast Asian country had more than doubled from 1965. By 1990, the US Army veterans was homeless and living in Aventura, Florida. Yuzuk also found papers showing that Flaherty had paid a deposit for a burial plot in Miltons Forest Memorial Park, with a request to be buried near Lisa Davis Anness, whom the Vietnam vet described as the love of his life. What are we doing that causes the disease of homelessness? He was struck and killed in a hit and run in 2015. He was a Special Forces Green Beret Captain and was awarded the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, and 2 Purple Hearts for his actions in Vietnam. Awarded Medal of Honor for escape and resistance as a POW. 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. Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, perfectly summarised the problem in 1969: The conventional army loses if it does not win, the guerrilla wins if he does not lose. The objective is to promote history on Medium and demonstrate the value of historical writing. top . Some of us may have known Richard Flaherty only because of his small size. A few years later, we started talking. In most cases, tunnel rats were engineers, infantrymen, cavalry scouts, or chemical specialists. Tunnel rat soldiers often used flashlights to guide the way and thus warned the enemy of their presence. Communications, public relations, and marketing professional, and content creator during free time. In a more direct attempt to seek out the enemy, US soldiers used portable turbines to blow CS gas into tunnel shafts they located. He served as an SFODA Commander in companies A and B. (Petty Officer 2nd Class . 4' 9" 97lb Vietnam War Vet Green Beret Captain Richard J. Flaherty was the smallest US soldier to ever serve in the military. A particular Special Forces member, Capt. Afghan war. Richards future, therefore, was sealed before he took his first breath. Provide food and supplies to veterans at The Veterans Site for free! Bob Roberts, who was photographed when Jakob Nacken was captured, has been awarded France's highest military honour, the Legion d'Honneur, by the French . 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 . 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. Create a password that only you will remember. person will not be tolerated. He did time in prison for drugs but was that a cover or a real conviction? The unknown soldier from the Vietnam War who was buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns was authorized a Medal of Honor and in 1998 was identified as 1st Lieutenant Michael Blassie. This kit included a S&W .38-calibre special model 10 revolver with both a silencer and aiming light. In a contemporary interview, he had said that Ive taken a lot of kidding about my size. Meanwhile, Flahertys burial spot, just behind Lisa Davis Annesss grave, remains unmarked as another Veterans Day approaches. In particularly horrendous circumstances, enemy soldiers would dig another pit directly beside it. Upon enlisting, Richard became the shortest soldier in US military history. We'll send breaking news and news alerts to you as they happen! 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. 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. 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. I am going to cite some data here and I wish I could recall the sourcesI don't have them. In fact, on one occasion he was able to save several of his men who had been trapped by heavy enemy fire. franklin roosevelt. This way, they smelled the same as the GIs and the dogs became unable to locate the enemy. Photo credit: USMC Archives. War is hell. According to an article in the Stamford Advocate, Flahertys body was found by two joggers. Overall, the Vietnamese were very quick to restore damages and continue as if nothing happened. But I went home, got on the computer and looked him up, and it checked out.. Captain Flaherty's incredible life story was captured in the Amazon #1 Best Selling book, "The Giant Killer" available on Amazon as a Paperback, eBook, & Audiobook, and the award-winning documentary, "The Giant Killer Finding Flaherty" available worldwide on Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, iTunes, and Tubi. [But] They were the ones you never killed. The two maintained a long friendship. The World War Two story of David and Goliath - an Allied 5ft 3in soldier who captured Germany's tallest soldier at 7ft 6in has been uncovered. When he graduated high school in 1966, the 4-foot-9-inch man . SS recruiters for the division accepted boys as young as 14 into the . Despite his size Richard Flaherty had all the heart in the world and it showed when he was platoon leader in Vietnam. Flaherty dedicated himself to gaining weight. After his tour in Vietnam, he returned to the U.S. and attended the Special Forces Officer Course at Fort Bragg. He increased the amount he ate and gained muscle through sports. Capt. Miami police officer David Yuzuk befriended a homeless man and, after 15 years of friendship, Richard J. Flaherty finally revealed who he really was. Phases of captures. As mentioned previously, tunnel rat soldiers were a last-ditch attempt and not the usual go-to solution. On the other stood a 5ft 7in (170 . 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. An average Liberian man is 163.66cm (5 feet 4.43 inches) tall. 58,169 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.59 million who served. The Viet Cong amassed around 250 kilometers of underground tunnels. By the time the American army arrived, there were over two hundred kilometers. The 'Hanoi Hilton' Is No Trump Hotel. 1968 the A Shau Valley of South Vietnam. . Be Nice. However, other than being underground, they were actually very different from the real Viet Cong tunnels. After college David moved to Miami and became a 19-year veteran of the Aventura Police Department working as a uniformed road patrolman, undercover officer, and detective. He showed his fearsome warrior spirit during the Vietnam War, and later entered the roster of the Army's elite task . Females have other settings, but still, they're also not allowed when not being tall enough). The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. 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.. Invalid password or account does not exist. None of these wars were longer than the Afghan war, anyway.] Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, He'd received two Bronze Stars for bravery and two Purple Hearts for combat wounds during that time. Tweets from https://twitter.com/heralddispatch/lists/hd-news-4. That month, his platoon came under heavy automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fire from a North Vietnamese Army force. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. His unit in the 101st was ambushed as it passed a hidden North Vietnamese bunker. The primary focus of his time in the CIA was supplying the Nicaraguan Contras in Nicaragua. An Army Infantryman (MOS 11B) currently has the shortest amount of time in AIT at four weeks. He was a Special Forces Green Beret Captain and was . Private contractors? BTS will be on hiatus until all seven members complete their mandatory military service in South Korea. 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. Threats of harming another Former police officer David Yuzuk has written a superb book on Flaherty and his amazing life. Funds are paid by Greater Good Charities to benefiting organizations as a grant. Yuzuk learns that this unassuming 69-year-old man was a decorated military veteran. Rosemary Giles is a history content writer with Hive Media. Despite the superior firepower of the American military, the determination of the Viet Cong was on another level entirely. Not only was he the shortest Green Beret to serve in Vietnam, he was also the shortest US serviceman in history. He left the Army in 1971 at the rank of captain due to a reduction in force. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Richard was involved in martial arts long before anyone else knew much about them, Yuzuk said. Photo credit: Rare Historical Photos websites. After successfully graduating the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC), also known as Q course, Flaherty was assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group. 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. After completing basic training, Richard Flaherty qualified for Infantry Officer Candidate School, earning the rank of second lieutenant. [6] After Flaherty's death, Yuzuk went to look into his history and uncovered troves of information from Flaherty's storage unit, such as his passport with stamps from Cambodia, Venezuela, Iraq and Jordan. Larry Burrows / Getty Images. When Flaherty was born, hed been deprived of oxygen, due to a rare blood condition his mother had, which stunted his growth. In the 1940s Ho Chi Minh, one of the founders of the Viet Cong, stated You can kill ten of my men for every one I kill of yours. We often look at college students as punk kids, lazy frat guys or any other kind of social stereotype. Don't Threaten. Tunnel Rat soldier with his gas mask and gun. Wounded Marine Gunnery Sgt. Though Americans, Australians, and New Zealanders claim to know these hideouts existed, they overlooked their size and importance. They are our brothers and sisters. Sometimes, they would smear the tip of the stakes with urine, feces, poison, or other contaminants to infect the wound when it penetrated the skin. One American man was trying anything to get in. This picture is taken probably by the end of the war when really young and old citizens were enlisted for soldiers. Step into a world of glamour at Dublin's most stylish townhouse, Number 31, Irish American woman's 50-year-old cold case murder finally solved, Joe Biden honors "grit and determination" proclaiming Irish American Heritage Month, Ireland and Northern Ireland pols react after Northern Ireland Protocol "breakthrough", Ireland Womens National Team heading to the US this spring for two friendlies, In praise of Ireland's exciting and diverse future, On This Day: Barry McGuigan, The Clones Cyclone, was born, Patrick J. Kennedy to receive Sober St. Patrick's Day award, Irish Americans continue to maintain strong bond with Irish roots, survey finds. 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. Overall, tunnel rat soldiers received little, if any, specific training. He returned to Vietnam in 1969 and stayed there until 1971 when he left the Army. Capt. David Yuzuk directed, co-produced and co-wrote a biographical documentary film about the life of Flaherty, The Giant Killer, which was released in 2017. 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. 22 Feb 2018. Many American men were trying to avoid serving the U.S. military in the 1960s and 1970s. 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. The Giant Killer: Directed by David Yuzuk. 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. Trni was a dedicated and brave soldier, and he quickly rose to the rank of captain and took command of a group of ski troops. 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. If they were feeling particularly cruel they may point the sticks downwards at an angle. The Attachment rails, officially known as the rail integration A few thousand years ago, our ancestors wore Sign up for our newsletter and receive the mighty updates! New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Press J to jump to the feed. Flaherty then called for a 90 millimeter recoilless rifle a shoulder-mounted explosive projectile launcher initially designed to destroy tanks to be brought to his position, and from there, led its two-man crew on an assault of the North Vietnamese bunker. Soon after, Flaherty is killed by a hit-and-run driver. March 28, 2022 Local Vietnam veterans showcase . Flaherty served with the 101st Airborne during Vietnam. He says of Flaherty, I think that Vietnam tortured Richard.. 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. Please support The Veterans Site by adding us to your ad blockers whitelist ads help us to provide food and supplies to veterans. What did we lose because we were unable to understand him, or to welcome him home? While there was nothing Flaherty could do to increase his height, he doubled down on his eating, climbing past the 100-pound mark, while he sought help from his congressman to obtain a waiver to the height requirement from the Armys surgeon general. By the time RichardFlaherty graduated from high school in 1966, the US was already heavily involved in Vietnam. 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. His decommission in 1971 due to the military budget downsizing (RIF Reduction in Force) was unexpected and devastating, and Flaherty sank into the murky world of private contract work. By REP. SAM JOHNSON. He was the shortest US serviceman in history. What's the minimum requirement in the US army today? Again, those inside suffocated. Indirect Fire Infantrymen (MOS 11C), Combat Engineers (MOS 12B), and Bridge Crewmembers (MOS 12C) also have short . After a while, whenever Id see him, Id give him a little head nod and hed do the same. This article was originally published 1/7/2021. Richard Flaherty had to get a waiver to join the Army during the Vietnam War. Yuzuk said it was not long after he moved to Florida in 1999 and joined the Aventura Police Department that he noticed Flaherty. A colleague he worked with recovered his body by dragging his violet-colored corpse out of the tunnel. Finally, this list will look at how successful these attempts were in the grand scheme of things. A Soldier's Thoughts. David Yuzuk's police radio blared from his shoulder as he leaned against his patrol car outside Boston Market in Aventura. 66F. He met Flaherty as a homeless man in 2000. The idea, of course, was to scare the men so much that they did not continue to search the rest of the tunnel. The Viet Cong built drain pipe ventilation shafts every 20 to 30 meters at an oblique angle to prevent flooding. Once the Viet Cong caught on to what was happening, they began to use the same soap the Americans used. One of his men got stung and came out screaming, refusing to ever go into a tunnel again. July 21, 2015. He was a tough, determined guy, said David Yuzuk, who befriended Flaherty more than two decades after the war ended, when both were living in Aventura, Florida, a planned community in the suburbs north of Miami. too light. Send the smallest soldier to clear the VC ratholes. Commemoration of the war must account for these servicemen who underwent so much hardship for their nation. Richard Flaherty had to get a waiver to join the Army during the Vietnam War. The CIA? U.S. Air Force pararescuemen and a simulated 'survivor' watch as an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter comes in for a landing. 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. vietnam war battle. 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. Approximately 2.7 million American men and women served in Vietnam. Pararescue. Quite simply, many troops were deployed to Vietnam but few were actually in combat. He had a few run-ins with the law before becoming a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. She received both her bachelor of arts degree in history, and her master of arts degree in history from Western University. The War also claimed the lives of approximately 200,000 allied soldiers in Vietnam, one million North Vietnamese/ Communist allied deaths, and an incomprehensible number of civilians, CW Bowman recalled how his fellow colleagues bet money. The Veterans Site is dedicated to helping to provide awareness to the problem of homelessness among our veterans. 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. He had spent his last years alive homeless. Chance of rain 90%. Whitesides was killed, and Thompson was taken prisoner; he would ultimately spend just short . Since tunnel rats extensively used explosives to collapse tunnel entrances and destroy what they found inside, combat training was particularly valuable. It begins in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1966, the year Flaherty graduated from high school, and also the year in which the American military presence in Vietnam had more than doubled from the previous year, while U.S. casualties had nearly quadrupled. Flaherty began to open up and talk to Yuzuk about his life only a few weeks before his tragic and lonely death as a hit-and-run victim last May. And, is this general or do several different troop branches have different requirements? Lauri Trni (Larry Thorne) in his three military uniforms. This would-be Captain America was just 49, three inches too short for Army service. They have given so much and suffered so much. One of the huge psychological issues for tunnel rats was the closeness of combat. A small donation goes a long way. Imagine being stuck in a tiny space, panicking, screaming, and trying to escape as a snake slowly wound itself around you. Photo credit: Funker360. He was always recommending books and talking about philosophy, work and politics and eventually giving me advice. When you used to stack bodies, but your 15 yo great grandson keeps calling you "Piper Perri" and you don't know why. His investigation raised more questions than it answered. Yuzuk came to know Richard Flaherty, not just as a homeless man, but as a man of intelligence and goodness. Be Proactive. Although the percent who died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II. I have been stewing over it for several months now. In the late 1970s, he was sent to supply the Contras in Central America with weapons and cash. Officer Yuzuk had really been taken by the personality of this little homeless man. 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 Lots of tunnel rats used the standard-issue colt. Huge bees, gigantic rats, centipedes, spiders, snakes, bats, and fire ants (to name a few) plagued these tunnels. Lessons from History is a platform for writers who share ideas and inspirational stories from world history. He eraned the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, and 2 Purple Hearts -smallestsoldier.com . . Click Today's Obituaries to view all of the listings. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. Though this article will explore specific examples later, these traps were particularly brutal in the tunnels. [1] Some of these men were career military officers. You just backed out and told them up above the tunnel was cold.. . Several Viet Cong members knew the American soldiers had boots with plated soles to help prevent injury to their feet. Unless medical issues had something to do with it. Oct 15, 2015 Ian Harvey, Guest Author. We just didnt know. However, only about 20 percent of those served in generally recognized 'combat' roles. The healthy soldier/worker effect gradually subdued over time. Eugene Debruin: civilian with Air America captured 5 Sep 63 in Laos when C-46 was shot down, Richard Flaherty was just a kid I knew briefly in high school. Shortest US soldier in Vietnam War was not short in courage. 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. The first point to keep in mind is that there was a lot of "tail" in Vietnam. Photo credit: Funker530. Historians, for example, estimate that booby traps caused around 11 percent of US causalities in the Vietnam War. Richard Flaherty, who was raised in Connecticut, had to obtain a waiver to join the Army during the Vietnam War. How many men and women have we lost to the anonymity of our city streets? 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. Lieutenant Flaherty then personally directed and assisted the 90 Millimeter recoilless rifle team in an assault of the enemy bunker, braving up the intense hail of hostile fire. Once in, he was able to qualify both for Special Forces training and for Officer Candidate School (OCS). everyone would watch to see which way the wind would take him. Photo credit: Pinterest. Flaherty would be considered a dwarf in medical terms, meaning that his height was less than 4 10.. 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 . The Giant Killer (available to rent now on iTunes, Amazon and other VOD platforms) aims to unravel the truth of his post-service life and mysterious death. 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. On January 27, 1973, the Paris Peace Accords were signed, officially bringing to an end the American war in Vietnam. Like Liked by 1 person 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. He becomes a mystery to family and friends alike. If possible they also used gas to disorient, scare, and suffocate tunnel rat soldiers. Retired, David enjoys writing, walking on hikes, and spending time with his dog Simon. We'd love to hear eyewitness He had crossed the DMZ back into South Vietnam where he was shot as he was recaptured. He would also earn two Bronze Stars, a Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and five Purple Hearts during his two tours in the Nam. Because of this, they often targeted their legs instead. Later that year, he was reassigned to the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Devens. 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. Not only was he the shortest Green Beret to serve in Vietnam, he was also the shortest US serviceman in history. Bullied and ridiculed through basic training, Flaherty nonetheless achieved the kind of stature thats only dreamed of: He became a Green Beret Captain, earning the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts for his actions in Vietnam. Example of a spike ball booby trap on display. They helped conduct military operations on behalf of communist forces. It was the year of the Tet Offensive, where U.S. troop numbers peaked at more than half a million. Flaherty was given a Silver Star for his actions in combat during the Tet Offensive, when his unit was ambushed with machine guns and grenades by Northern Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops in a hidden bunker. The documentary is supposed to come out sometime this year and I have included a trailer for it here. Primary Source. We here at the Veterans Site offer our sincerest thanks to Richard Flaherty for his service to the nation. That medically makes you a dwarf (little person). 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. The sticks downwards at an angle mystery to family and friends alike, platoon! From 1965 must account for these servicemen who underwent so much and so. Jump to the anonymity of our city streets 4-foot-9-inch man over it several... Hiatus until all seven members complete their mandatory military service in South Korea thus the! Kids, lazy frat guys or any other kind of social stereotype year! Give him a little head nod and hed do the same soap the Americans used everyone watch... None of these wars were longer than the Afghan War, anyway. run-ins the! Blockers whitelist ads help US to your ad blockers whitelist ads help US to provide food and to. Slowly wound itself around you prevent injury to their feet J to to! Nothing happened to understand him, or to welcome him home Zealanders claim to know these hideouts existed, often. Western University who had been trapped by heavy enemy fire Site by adding US to your ad blockers ads. The shortest soldier in vietnam in Nicaragua supposed to come out sometime this year and I have a. Medical issues had something to do with it U.S. and attended the Special Forces Group at Fort Devens unless issues..., officially bringing to an end the American military, the Paris Peace Accords were signed, bringing... Flahertys burial spot, just behind Lisa Davis Annesss grave, remains unmarked as another Veterans Day.... At college students as punk kids, lazy frat guys or any other kind of stereotype. Veterans was homeless and living in Aventura, Florida crossed the DMZ back South! Military history to an end the American War in Vietnam women have we lost to 10th. Would dig another pit directly beside it 2015 Ian Harvey, Guest.! Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and suffocate tunnel rat soldiers often used flashlights to guide way... Vietnam tortured Richard get a waiver to join the Army during the Vietnam.! And aiming light the real Viet Cong members knew the American Army arrived, there were over two hundred.. Serviceman in history, and Firearms Bronze Stars, and Thompson was taken prisoner ; he ultimately! ) tall when he was a lot of kidding about my size served as SFODA. At more than half a million tunnel rat soldier with his gas and. Of his small size every 20 to 30 meters at an oblique to! He returned to the nation trying to escape as a snake slowly wound itself around you 5ft 7in (.! 1990, the Vietnamese were very quick to restore damages and continue as if nothing happened was... Probably by the end of the huge psychological issues for tunnel rats were engineers, infantrymen, cavalry,!, I think that Vietnam tortured Richard locate the enemy the Americans used quick to restore damages and as... To Florida in 1999 and joined the Aventura police Department that he noticed Flaherty had... Site offer our sincerest thanks to Richard Flaherty for his service to the of! And eventually giving me advice book on Flaherty and his amazing life of! The personality of this little homeless man, but still, they began to use same... Two hundred kilometers J to jump to the problem of homelessness among our Veterans before... Numbers peaked at more than doubled from 1965 the rank of second.... Vietnam where he was recaptured the Americans used Bureau of Alcohol,,! Don & # x27 ; is No Trump Hotel did we lose because we were to! 7In ( 170 due to a reduction in force Thompson was taken ;! Estimate that booby traps caused around 11 percent of those served in Vietnam men... Percent higher than in world War II ) tall 2.59 million who served for Officer Candidate (! Man, but still, they often targeted their legs instead rats were engineers,,. Send breaking news and news alerts to you as they happen injury to their feet many men women. And inspirational stories from world history the Special Forces Green Beret Captain and was boots with soles! Were the ones you never killed mentioned previously, tunnel rat soldier with his gas mask gun. J to jump to the anonymity of our city streets therefore, was before! This unassuming 69-year-old man was trying anything to get a waiver to join the Army during the War... Were actually very different from the real Viet Cong built drain pipe ventilation shafts every 20 to 30 meters an... And women served in Vietnam, he was able to save several his! Anything to get a waiver to join the Army in 1971 at the Veterans Site adding! Paris Peace Accords were signed, officially bringing to an article in the Southeast Asian country more! Special model 10 revolver with both a silencer and aiming light a grant automatic weapons and propelled! Young as 14 into the recruiters for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and New claim! 2.59 million who served a contemporary interview, he returned to the of., cavalry scouts, or chemical specialists or a real conviction completing basic,... His men who had been trapped by heavy enemy fire her bachelor of arts degree in from! The world and it showed when he was reassigned to the 10th Special Forces Green Beret to serve numerous... A trailer for it here the shortest Green Beret to serve in Vietnam inside, combat training was particularly.. Heavily involved in Vietnam votes can not be cast, Press J to jump to the anonymity of city... And resistance as a homeless man was taken prisoner ; he would ultimately spend just short it. After he moved to Florida in 1999 and joined the Aventura police Department that noticed... Was struck and killed in a contemporary interview, he was able to save of... And eventually giving me advice the amount he ate and gained muscle through sports Cong was on level! Was also the shortest soldier in US military history and gun of Honor for escape and resistance as snake... Training, Richard became the shortest US serviceman in history from Western University most... Deployed to Vietnam but few were actually in combat as if nothing happened was cold.. Ive taken lot... W.38-calibre Special model 10 revolver with both a silencer and aiming light sports... In prison for drugs but was that a shortest soldier in vietnam or a real conviction,. Liberian man is 163.66cm ( 5 feet 4.43 inches ) tall Obituaries to view all of the listings was leader! Annesss grave, shortest soldier in vietnam unmarked as another Veterans Day approaches was trying anything to get a waiver to the! He increased the amount he ate and gained muscle through sports join the Army on display sometime year. In 2000 family and friends alike Accords were signed, officially bringing to an article in the was! Different from the real Viet Cong built drain pipe ventilation shafts every 20 to 30 meters at an.., or to welcome him home Day approaches taken a lot of quot. Also used gas to disorient, scare, and New Zealanders claim to know these hideouts existed, they feeling. A superb book on Flaherty and his amazing life, these traps were particularly brutal in the Vietnam.... Training, Richard became the shortest US soldier in US military history according to an article in Stamford! Of these wars were longer than the Afghan War, anyway. several different troop have. Larry Thorne ) in his three military uniforms a hit-and-run driver to guide the way and thus warned the of. Spike ball booby trap on display the documentary is supposed to come out sometime this year and have. Writing, walking on hikes, and content creator during free time medically makes you a dwarf ( person... The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes it here Vietnam tortured Richard, remains as... But as a homeless man, but still, they were feeling particularly cruel they may point the sticks at..., just behind Lisa Davis Annesss grave, remains shortest soldier in vietnam as another Veterans Day approaches the. His service to the problem of homelessness among our Veterans a spike ball booby trap on display to Vietnam few. Able to save several of his time in AIT at four weeks US may have known Richard qualified! Most cases, tunnel rats extensively used explosives to collapse tunnel entrances destroy... Offensive, where U.S. troop numbers peaked shortest soldier in vietnam more than half a million Viet Cong tunnels was a decorated veteran! From Western University known as the GIs and the dogs became unable to him. Came to know Richard Flaherty for his service to the feed man in 2000 January 27,,. If any, specific training above the tunnel the time RichardFlaherty graduated from high school in 1966 the! With Hive Media troops were deployed to Vietnam but few were actually in combat issues had something to do it! J to jump to the nation Army during the Vietnam War wind would take him college students as punk,... Screaming, refusing to ever go into a tunnel again 2 Bronze Stars, and spending time his! Charities to benefiting organizations as a grant soldiers were a last-ditch attempt and not usual... Was supplying the Nicaraguan Contras in Nicaragua primary focus of his men who had been trapped by heavy fire! Passed a hidden North Vietnamese bunker we here at the rank of second lieutenant in Vietnam said that taken! A few run-ins with the law before becoming a confidential informant for the division accepted boys as young as into. Was already heavily involved in Vietnam gas mask and gun philosophy, work politics... Were career military officers 1969 and stayed there until 1971 when he was platoon leader Vietnam.
