He was awarded a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts during his service. Millions of Americans and tens of thousands of veterans and soldiers opposed the war in Vietnam. 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. Private contractors? Tunnels were also built in zig-zags to prevent the enemy from pouring in chemicals or shooting bullets over a long distance. When he graduated high school in 1966, the 4-foot-9-inch man . 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. Snakes were also commonly used traps inside these tunnels. But it wasnt until 2015 that Flaherty first spoke of his time as a platoon leader and Green Beret in Vietnam. Miami police officer David Yuzuk befriended a homeless man and, after 15 years of friendship, Richard J. Flaherty finally revealed who he really was. He appealed to his Connecticut Senator, Christopher Dodd, and was able to get a special waiver into the Army. His friend, David Yuzuk, used his own money and launched a crowdfunding campaign to produce a documentary about his friends life. Many American men were trying to avoid serving the U.S. military in the 1960s and 1970s. Yuzuk told the West Virginia Gazette that he hopes the documentary will make people think twice about judging the homeless. Richard Flaherty, was certainly a standout. 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. 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. He stood at just 49 tall. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. . The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. None of these wars were longer than the Afghan war, anyway.] 66F. Awarded Medal of Honor for escape and resistance as a POW. 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. 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. The CIA? He was awarded a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts. Tunnel rat soldiers often used flashlights to guide the way and thus warned the enemy of their presence. Flaherty was unfazed by the criticism he continued to receive throughout his life. The link to . April 12, 2021. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. During the course of two tours in Vietnam, because of his size, Flaherty often did tunnel rat searches. This attempt enjoyed more success than Crimp but was short-lived as the tunnels were in working order again within weeks. Vietnam War. An example of a classic punji booby trap. Similarly, the bamboo whip was a very traumatic trap. Although the driver fled the scene, they were eventually caught. 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. Flaherty was killed on May 9, 2015 in a hit and run. ", People dont know about Cotton and it shows. Photo credit: Peter Alan Lloyd Website. Copyright 2023 Military.com. They harnessed their newfound abilities to help them with survival because unlike their enemies, they lacked experience in these small dark tunnels. When it came time to weigh in, Flaherty barely tipped the scale of 100 pounds. To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. You can also learn about how these soldiers came about, who opted to become one, how they trained, and what equipment they used. How does he get kicked out due to reduction of force? Holy shit even disregarding the adversity overcome about his height, this dude seriously fucked. However, he was initially turned down because of his size. 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. Flaherty left the Army in 1971 and attended the University of Miami in Florida. However, other than being underground, they were actually very different from the real Viet Cong tunnels. Choose wisely! He returned to Southeast Asia in 1969 and remained there until 1971 when he left the Army. Soldiers learned to carefully probe the sides, roof, and floor of the tunnels attentively listening and trying to smell the enemy or look for trap doors. 58,169 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.59 million who served. When he graduated high school in 1966, the 4-foot-9-inch man was 3 inches under the Army's height requirement. In all fairness, that number was on the more extreme side of estimates. vietnam war battle. A retired Miami cop spends three years trying to unearth the truth about a homeless gentleman he'd befriended. Stories reveal that one American soldier raised his head through a tunnel entrance only to have a piece of metal automatically speared through his neck. His unit in the 101st was ambushed as it passed a hidden North Vietnamese bunker. Similarly, Operation Ceder Falls attempts to uncover and destroy the tunnel system. It was only after a determined effort, which included the involvement of his local Congressman, that he managed to acquire a waiver. But knowing a little bit more about his story now makes me wish I had known him better. He had spent his last years alive homeless. How many men and women have we lost to the anonymity of our city streets? Here we go: 1. He had a few run-ins with the law before becoming a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Flaherty is buried in an unmarked grave in Milton, West Virginia. or anything. 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. Again, tripwires would trigger the release of snakes hidden somehow inside bamboo sticks, known to soldiers as bamboo vipers. Or were his missions something much darker? Like Liked by 1 person Standing tall in four-feet and nine-inches, Captain Richard Flaherty, might be too small for the conventional height for the United States Army. 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. He would see Flaherty and talk with him every day; they would even eat lunch together. The Viet Cong were experts at creating very sophisticated tunnel systems that would sometimes be so large that they could be used as company-sized staging areas for hiding and for rest, even for hospital facilities. Though there are . 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. He earned the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars (w/V, 3OLC), and 2 Purple Hearts. [5] Fifteen years before Flaherty's death, he was befriended by Miami Police officer David Yuzuk after Flaherty became homeless. Capt. Be Truthful. Nobody ever knew where these guys were coming from they pointed out in jungle school that there was a tunnel system we had numerous tunnel rats, but we never knew exactly where or how extensive or where the entrance was. The only reason anything is known about his own past is that he shared it with an Aventura cop before he died. This offensive is commonly seen by historians as a turning point for American involvement in the Vietnam war. Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas) represents Texas' 3rd congressional . Just 10 days before Flaherty's death, Flaherty told Yuzuk his story. Pictured left to right: Topsy, Fatty, Cotton (killed fitty men and got his shins blowed off), Brooklyn, Stinky, and Fatty. He was the smallest man on campus. His Silver Star citation offers a brief glimpse to Flaherty, the man. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Press J to jump to the feed. Capt. Richard Flaherty (far right) seen with members of the Army's 101st Airborne Division. Throughout the battle, he repeatedly exposed himself to the hostile fire in order to better direct the suppressive fire of his squads. Indirect Fire Infantrymen (MOS 11C), Combat Engineers (MOS 12B), and Bridge Crewmembers (MOS 12C) also have short . Winds light and variable.. Cloudy with occasional rain after midnight. U.S. involvement in the Southeast Asian country had more than doubled from 1965. This required him to put on even more weight and get another waiver signed to excuse him from the height requirements. 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. Growing up, Flaherty was sensitive about his height (4'9"), therefore he tried to achieve the best physical fitness and learned martial arts. He returned to the U.S. that same year to attend the Army Special warfare School at Fort Bragg, where he earned his green beret. The Veterans Site asks that you take a moment out of your day to consider donating to help house homeless veterans. racist or sexually-oriented language. ODA was tasked with training the Royal Thai Army in counterinsurgency operations and prepare them for a deployment to Vietnam. In general, volunteers had to have common sense, be exceptionally brave, have an inquisitive mind, and have an even temperament. 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. 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. What are we doing that causes the disease of homelessness? the shortest have one line. They carried out tunnel rat duties as and when they needed in addition to any other duties they performed. 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. Not only was he the shortest Green Beret to serve in Vietnam, he was also the shortest US serviceman in history. I Spent Seven Years as a Vietnam POW. Some tunnel rats were also fortunate enough to take part in Combat Engineer Advanced Individual Training. Tyler Perry wrote and will direct the story of an all-female, all-Black battalion that served in Europe. Though there was nothing he could do to grow three inches in less than a year (or any other time frame, likely) he could gain weight. saigon 1975. army soldier. Punji stake traps found in the tunnels highlight one of the most disgusting and feared examples of Vietnamese booby traps. Despite the superior firepower of the American military, the determination of the Viet Cong was on another level entirely. pearl harbor. Tools of the trade metal tin sign. 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. After being discharged, Flaherty did private and military contract work in Rhodesia and Angola in Africa. This also allowed soldiers to help find and collect any wounded or dead comrades. He was expected to only grow to the height of 4 7 but Richard proved them wrong as he grew to 4 9.. The Viet Cong also made use of explosive booby traps and pressure detonated mines. It was if he was hardening himself up for some special task.. After his tour of duty was over, he applied for Special Forces training. A soldier holding a small but venomous snake. A twenty-two year old U.S. Army Lieutenant finds himself in the fight of his life on his birthday. On occasion, they ended up having severe nervous breakdowns and their colleagues dragged them out of tunnels crying and screaming. Quite simply, many troops were deployed to Vietnam but few were actually in combat. BTS will be on hiatus until all seven members complete their mandatory military service in South Korea. But I went home, got on the computer and looked him up, and it checked out.. We had built the runway surface with 2 ft by 12 ft Marston Mat aluminum planks with interlocking grooves along each edge. In September of 1966, Rep. Donald J. Irwin of Connecticut got in touch with the U.S. Army Surgeon General, who recommended a waiver for Flahertys height. Team Mighty. He was always recommending books and talking about philosophy, work and politics and eventually giving me advice. When he graduated OCS and his Special Forces training, he volunteered for combat duty with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. Not only was he the shortest Green Beret to serve in Vietnam, he was also the shortest US serviceman in history. He came home from Vietnam after his second tour and moved to Hallandale, Florida, where he worked for a time with the U.S. On average, tunnels in this underground network were 1.2 meters wide and only 0.8 to 1.8 metres high. To even attempt Special Forces training, Flaherty had to gain six pounds and get another height waiver. 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