Many American men were trying to avoid serving the U.S. military in the 1960s and 1970s. ", People dont know about Cotton and it shows. But first he had to fight simply to get into the Army. everyone would watch to see which way the wind would take him. Flaherty was born to a mother who, unknown to her, had a blood type that made her second-born son vulnerable to oxygen deprivation in his infancy, which stunted his growth. Lessons from History is a platform for writers who share ideas and inspirational stories from world history. A life warrior. Richard Flaherty returned to the U.S. and trained at the Army's Special Warfare School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, becoming a member of the Green Berets. Some tunnel rats were also fortunate enough to take part in Combat Engineer Advanced Individual Training. Photo credit: Funker530. soldier has to be fit both physically and mentally to endure the hardship in an adverse environment such as a battle field. 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. But it wasnt until 2015 that Flaherty first spoke of his time as a platoon leader and Green Beret in Vietnam. It is our duty to remember him for his noble service to the nation. However, Bowman said that he was never that scared of the tunnels; he was so young he believed he was invincible. Copyright 2023 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Later that year, he was reassigned to the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Devens. He would see Flaherty and talk with him every day; they would even eat lunch together. One of the huge psychological issues for tunnel rats was the closeness of combat. 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. Vietnam-era Radiomen life expectancy was 5 seconds. The Lone . Thus, when Richard was born, he was different. Your Herd from Herald-Dispatch Reach Manager. A Soldier's Thoughts. He eraned the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, and 2 Purple Hearts -smallestsoldier.com . 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. Protests to end the war in 1965. Capt. If you look at all of the things the radio operators were tasked with, it becomes abundantly . Richard Flaherty was probably the most unique Green Beret to ever serve in the U.S. Army's Special Forces. Miami Police officer David Yuzuk befriended Richard J. Flaherty when the former soldier was living on the streets as a homeless man. Flaherty enlisted late that year. 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. Photo credit: Peter Alan Lloyd Website. Flaherty would be considered a dwarf in medical terms, meaning that his height was less than 4 10.. This meant naturally handguns were most commonly chosen. By the time RichardFlaherty graduated from high school in 1966, the US was already heavily involved in Vietnam. [3], He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division during his first tour to Vietnam in 1968 during the Vietnam War. Vietnam Veterans represent the largest cohort of American Veterans in . Already well-adapted to subterranean life, many insects and animals of the Vietnamese jungle found the underground tunnels to be a worthy living environment. 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. Photo credit: The Chive. 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. Once in, he was able to qualify both for Special Forces training and for Officer Candidate School (OCS). 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 two maintained a long friendship. After Flahertys death, Yuzuk kept digging, researching, and confirming. Published March 04, 2022 06:48:08. Since tunnel rats extensively used explosives to collapse tunnel entrances and destroy what they found inside, combat training was particularly valuable. I didnt believe him at first, Yuzuk recalled. The US army now sought alternate measures. After his tour of duty was over, he applied for Special Forces training. He says of Flaherty, I think that Vietnam tortured Richard.. His friend, David Yuzuk, used his own money and launched a crowdfunding campaign to produce a documentary about his friends life. 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. TIMES STAFF WRITER. But Flaherty spotted the bunker, rallied his soldiers and led a charge under heavy fire that cleared the area of enemy troops. 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. Oct 15, 2015 Ian Harvey, Guest Author. 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. However, he was initially turned down because of his size. Historians, for example, estimate that booby traps caused around 11 percent of US causalities in the Vietnam War. As a result, many tunnel rats often avoided using hearing protection while underground. It included an article about Flahertys tragic death in Aventura, Florida. When it comes to headgear, some soldiers wore a helmet or a visored cap along with a microphone and/ or transistor radio attached. Reads: 47 Comments: 1. . Putting people in that situation changes them. he said. However, only about 20 percent of those served in generally recognized 'combat' roles. Got the VC screaming "we said no Oddjob! He'd received two Bronze Stars for bravery and two Purple Hearts for combat wounds during that time. On parachute operations he was always the first out of the plane. Awarded Medal of Honor for escape and resistance as a POW. The idea, of course, was to scare the men so much that they did not continue to search the rest of the tunnel. He was still denied entry into the Army. 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. 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. Although the driver fled the scene, they were eventually caught. He was a Special Forces Green Beret Captain and was . the shortest have one line. Richard Flaherty had to get a waiver to join the Army during the Vietnam War. This required him to put on even more weight and get another waiver signed to excuse him from the height requirements. In the war's moral outrages, crimes and betrayals, many saw the US empire for the first time. too light. The openings to these tunnels were very small and those tunnel rats who went into them did so armed only with a flashlight, a K-bar (knife), and a .45 pistol. The Viet Cong amassed around 250 kilometers of underground tunnels. 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. Flaherty was the shortest of these elite soldiers, standing at only four feet, nine inches tall. You were a mighty man. that is degrading to another person. We had built the runway surface with 2 ft by 12 ft Marston Mat aluminum planks with interlocking grooves along each edge. We owe them the dignity that they deserve. He had been the victim of a hit-and-run car accident. Or were his missions something much darker? Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. Due to his small stature (he was just 4feet 9inches (1.45m) tall), he was known as "The Giant Killer". Its not slick but it is fascinating. He took to eating six meals a day and was able to bulk up to the 100 lb. During the war, more than 58,000 servicemen and women lost their lives. Private contractors? korean war. There is a story about Flaherty being involved in a federal investigation that ended in the arrest of two Green Berets in the 1980s. His only problem was that he stood four feet, nine inches tall. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. 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. 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. They helped conduct military operations on behalf of communist forces. What did we lose because we were unable to understand him, or to welcome him home? One tunnel rat claimed that the booby traps and Viet Cong did not frighten them as much as encountering the local ants. According to newspaper files, her grandparents operated a restaurant in Milton. SS recruiters for the division accepted boys as young as 14 into the . This kit included a S&W .38-calibre special model 10 revolver with both a silencer and aiming light. On November 28, 1945, doctors in Stamford Connecticut's Regional Hospital intensely worked to save newborn Richard James Flahertys life. [1] Richard Flaherty, was certainly a standout. To avoid running into issues, tunnel rats remained very cautious of the number of shots they fired. A former TV Reporter. pearl harbor. 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. . This page is to honor the memory of Green Beret Captain Vietnam veteran Richard Flaherty. 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. He had a few run-ins with the law before becoming a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Current standards for men is 60-80 inches tall. Richard Flaherty of Stamford, Connecticut was not one of them. Threats of harming another Use the 'Report' link on Unless medical issues had something to do with it. Abandoned by the CIA, Flaherty locates a smuggling ring stealing tons of explosives including a classified weapon from inside a U.S. Army base, and signs on to work the investigation undercover with the Federal law enforcement agency the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). accounts, the history behind an article. Jeremiah Purdie (center) is led past a stricken comrade after a fierce firefight for control of Hill 484. When he graduated high school in 1966, the 4-foot-9-inch man was 3 inches under the Army's height requirement. After all, many soldiers are have said to prefer the M14 to the M16 during the Vietnam War, and the rifle has been described by other authors as a "phoenix" rising again and again when the U.S . 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. He was the smallest man on campus. Flaherty left the Army in 1971 and attended the University of Miami in Florida. When triggering a tripwire, a plank weighted with barbed metal spikes and bricks would fall rapidly from the earth squashing the soldier below. But then everything we know about him gets lost in a blur of fragmentary vignettes. Flaherty then moved on to work as an informant in an undercover investigation with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to stop a smuggling ring from stealing explosives and a classified weapon from Fort Bragg. After this, he refused to ever go into a tunnel again. Tragically, he was killed in a hit and run during the early hours of May 9, 2015. Flaherty was killed on May 9, 2015 in a hit and run. Soon after, Flaherty is killed by a hit-and-run driver. A lot of the time, other soldiers thought these volunteers also had to be a certain type of crazy. Example of a spike ball booby trap on display. 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. Initially, America used hunting dogs to locate the enemy. Tiger traps were also particularly violent. After all, it was a very stressful and dangerous job. Phases of captures. He was awarded a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts during his service. 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. This restoration was pivotal as it enabled some of the key successes enjoyed by the Viet Cong. Thankfully, Richard Flahertys story lives on, as he shared it with David Yuzuk, a local police officer, before his death. I never thought of him after that until I received an email last May from one of my old high school friends. Special forces officer with a great deal of success. How many men and women have we lost to the anonymity of our city streets? 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.. He would also earn two Bronze Stars, a Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and five Purple Hearts during his two tours in the Nam. All rights reserved. Tunnel Rat soldier with his gas mask and gun. If the stakes pointed downwards, soldiers became unable to remove their limbs without causing severe damage. To even attempt Special Forces training, Flaherty had to gain six pounds and get another height waiver. He first deployed to Southeast Asia in 1968 as a member of the 101st Airborne Division. Huge bees, gigantic rats, centipedes, spiders, snakes, bats, and fire ants (to name a few) plagued these tunnels. Twenty-year-old Mike . Not only was he the shortest Green Beret to serve in Vietnam, he was also the shortest US serviceman in history. I didnt know.. He returned to Vietnam in 1969 and was stationed there until 1971. So for a combat soldier, there was about a 10% chance of being killed in action. He wasnt flat-footed, he had no debilitating conditions, and he was an otherwise perfectly healthy young man. It is here that his story begins to take many twists and turns. 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. Id known him for 15 years, and this was the first time he ever mentioned the military. The stakes would then spear any soldier that fell into the pit. Although he is the subject of a new documentary available on Amazon Prime and iTunes and a soon-to-be-released book, the full story of Capt. 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. In Britain, during the Nap. 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". One soldier would crawl about five meters behind the other to minimize the chance of death or injury if their leader activated a trap or a mine. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. I quote the half-inch ants have such a powerful bite that to pull them off means losing a bit of skin. Richards future, therefore, was sealed before he took his first breath. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 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. Owing to the need for a flashlight, it was essential that soldiers could aim and fire their weapon with one hand. A Soldier's Thoughts. Of those killed, 61% were younger than 21 years old. The soldiers then camouflaged the pit using natural undergrowth, mud, or crops. Infantry Advanced Individual Training also helped them to deal more in-depth with other issues. 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. Proceeding cautiously, they moved in enough until a fellow soldier could fit into the tunnel with them. In 1980, recognizing the cruelty of such devices, the Geneva Convention banned them as weaponry. David Yuzuk's police radio blared from his shoulder as he leaned against his patrol car outside Boston Market in Aventura. The War also claimed the lives of approximately 200,000 allied soldiers in Vietnam, nearly one million North Vietnamese/ Communist allied deaths . But I bet he would have gotten in during the OIF surge if he wanted to. 45 calibers with a seven-round magazine as they were readily available. Yuzuk came to know Richard Flaherty, not just as a homeless man, but as a man of intelligence and goodness. Start your free trial today. By 1990, he was homeless and living on the streets of Aventura, Florida. That medically makes you a dwarf (little person). One Viet Cong soldier highlighted their lack of discreteness. However, other than being underground, they were actually very different from the real Viet Cong tunnels. 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Crimes and betrayals, many insects and animals of the keyboard shortcuts and shortest soldier in vietnam Cong soldier their!
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