Forgot to ad; we first started exploring tunnels with 45 cal pistols, then we were sent 38 specials with screw on scilencers and aslo HighStandard 22 Cal pistols with built on scilencers. A lot of the equipment we used was out of Ft. Meade , MD I think. We would set explosives to blow the hell out of the tunnels and make sure they were completely destroyed and never used again. After reading all these comments I never knew there were that many TUNNEL RATS, or were there??? I think alot of people are calling thenselves TR that may not have been. Only my thought on the matter. No one here has mentioned the LRRP members. I have the most respect for any man that was a LRRP member. I slept with a 5 man LRRP team in my tent and I cuuld tell you many hair raising stories about their missions. They were the brave of the braviest men I ever knew. We were stationed just off the A Shau Valley and I can remember they got trapped on a abanden LZ ( LZ Stella) one night by the NVA. I thought I would never see them again but they were in the tent the next morning. I never asked how they did it. One crazy bunch of men. I could tell many interesting stories about Vietnam and it does not bother me. Yes I have PTSD and struggle sometime but doesn't everyone have deamons?? Like the old saying goes I left Vietnam October 23, 1968 ( and thats is a very interestng story also) but I go back every day. I was there last night and woke up with my wife wipping a cold sweat off my body. It never ends but like goes on. To all my Vietnam Brothers I say welcome home brothers, I love you all. SGT LARRY J. BISHOP 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Infantry Division and 3rd Battalion 1st Air Cavalry Division, Dian, Lai Khe, A Shau Valley, South Vietnam 67 -68
While I was in Vietnam I was approached by a Major who asked me if I could make a silencer for the 45 pistols. I was a machinist with "B" company 7th support battalion stationed at Long Bihn. I made 2 models, the first didn't work very well but the second worked well enough to get it out for a "Rat" to give it a try. The feedback was very positive. That prototype was then put into the hands of profesional engineers and I understand was then improved upon. I don't know if it actually ever helped or not but I still have the original in my position. May I add my personal thanks to all that served not only as a "Rat" but in any capacity and branch of the armed services during this war.
A VN Veteran I worked with was a tunnel rat. He told of the way he would go into tunnels others just would not. His short stature was not just what made him good for it but the bravery was also a factor. On one occasion he found a large NV underground bunker filled with explosives. He was ordered to set a charge and when he was getting from the tunnel the explosives went off. He was raised off the ground. The commanding officer arrived and took command. The commander who was there AFTER the fact received a bronze star. The man I speak of didn't get his award until a few years ago. A Bronze Star, Thanks to all that served and have and do. God bless you Dave.
You gotta have balls to go into a dark tunnel knowing the enemy, who wants nothing more than to kill you, is there and knows the terrain. God Bless those guys. That said, I'm sick of the US being the world's policeman and losing brave men and woman and trillions of dollars intervening in what is a CIVIL WAR within the country. Just not worth it as our leaders knew very early on. Scumbags only cared about the optics for their next election, not the dead and maimed US casualties. Makes my blood boil.
My father in law was in Vietnam and volunteered to serve in a forward outpost - I think that’s what he called it, I don’t ask, just wait for him to talk about it. In my opinion he’s never quite recovered from his experiences over there. If he starts drinking, his stoic exterior is allowed to fall away and he gets extremely emotional about his days there. I love him very much and admire him for the sacrifices he made.
The tunnel rats we had with our recon team get my high respect, I had to go into a tunnel to to try and save one of our guys, I was a combat medic and it was like nothing i had experienced before.
@@randy3907- Randy was a man who risked his life for others. A truckload of nerve to be in a small tunnel dug by small people. I cannot imagine such self discipline. What a hero. God Bless him.
Former tunnel rat Richard Blair worked for my parents. His flashbacks and PTSD occurred two times that I remember that completely left him inconsolable. You just had to wait it out for him to snap out of it. He was one of the nicest men and a proud veteran.
I have the highest respect for all veterans especially TR Vietnam veterans. At age 18 I was just at a high school and was sure I would be drafted and it 5’ 6” and 125 pounds I knew what my job would be in Vietnam. By the grace of God the draft ended and I was spared the awful memories and nightmares of being a Vietnam veteran. Every friend I have that made it back transformed from high school boys to hardened men with life long ptsd. I ride in an MC and many of my brothers are veterans from Vietnam and Middle East conflicts. To all veterans you have my highest respect and gratitude.
When I was about 8 one of my cousins returned from Vietnam, he was very strange. He told me about his experience as a tunnel rat and said if I joined I would be one also. This was in 1975, I retired from the Army in 2011 after 26 years of service but as a kid I could never appreciate what he had been through.
I heard the Pibbers engaged in some really hardcore fighting. This is the first video I've seen covering these guys in a long time. Respect to the boys 🇺🇲🇦🇺🇬🇧🇳🇿
I cant imagine trying to work up the courage to go into a tunnel. I mean the first time might not be so bad, but if you had or seen a bad experience down there...going down again and again would become horror....nothing but respect for those brave men
I met a tunnel rat - he said, the NVC would position a lethal snake just inside or around a curve in tunnels and that scared him the most. Incredible brave men did that rotten job.
I had quite an experience with the whole Viet Nam conflict, but that's another comment all it's own. Among the Pibs, the Air force attack planes, and our warriors with nerves of steel - the Tunnel Rats, our rates of attrition would range from a third of our total - all the way to more than two thirds. All of my admiration and respect to jobs that most guys just couldn't handle. A thank you and a prolonged salute. I've known many many vets. I have harrowing stories from some vets, - others, not surprisingly, just will not talk about it; 'that' must be respected and taken, - with or without understanding it. Thanks guys 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇦🇺.
I met an unassuming guy back in the early 90's while working on British bikes. After we got to know each other we both talked abd found out we were ex millitary. He was a Coast Guard and I was an ex Army in the medical corps.. After we worked for a bit we talked more about our days in the millitary..i.mafe the reference "puddle pirate" and he smiled and said "arrrr!" I found out he was a team leader on a pby boat in the Delta..had some intresting stories about his time on the Delta..later he told me I would have made a fine member of his crew back in the day... I remember even to this day thinking he must have really thought highly of me to tell me that. Later he told me on one of his last patrolls, of the 18 guys on 3 boats that went out that day 2 boars were ambushed and completely destroyed by RPG fire and everyone on his boat except 1 other gunner were killed and he and the survivor were the only ones that made it back to base..the surviving gunner took his life a week later and he was the only one left that survived..he decided he had done enough and was transferred back to the states and left the Coast Guard...he had PTSD for the rest of his life till bone cancer finally did him in about 5 years after I last saw him. I still think of him often and was a really great guy. RIP Craig! Hope you found the peace you deserved!
I went through Army OCS in 1981 with a fellow who was a Navy enlisted on a PBR during Vietnam. He had some very harrowing stories to say the least. He was twice wounded in firefights. Patrolling the Mekong Delta in a PBY, you were completely exposed and in most cases in short range for every weapon from AK to 12.7mm including RPG's. Their greatest asset was their firepower and their high speed. For the USAF pilots going on 'trolling for SAMS' that too had to be mission for someone with 316 stainless steel balls. Their courage was over the top. The tunnel rats too had to have bowling ball sized gonads made of 316 stainless steel. In Shitcanistan I ABSOLUTELY HATED having to go into caves for fear of what we might find. Your radios did not work so you could not call for reinforcements. More often than not went to the tunnel entrance and got a tight, 8 digit GPS grid and let the USAF drop Mk 84 2000 pound LGB's into them. The concussion of the bombs would kill the inhabitants of the cave outright or would suck up all of the oxygen, suffocating them. Peace through superior firepower. For the Vietnam tunnel rats to crawl into a hole with nothing more than a 1911, having no idea what they might encounter, was a mission only for someone who had stainless steel balls the size of Rhode Island and courage beyond words. I have nothing but the utmost in respect and admiration for that those brave soldiers did. I did a lot of dangerous things in 3 tours in Iraq but I doubt I could have EVER done the mission of the tunnel rat.
Sure they had courage to spare, no doubt. My neighbor was a tunnel rat and he was a fall down drunk, often going to jail for drinking related offenses. But when he was in that place between buzzed and wasted he,my dad, & myself would be playing setback and he'd start telling stories. My dad was a Korean war veteran. I tried enlisting, three separate times, but had a issue with my right knee that kept me from serving. I thought it was B.S. at the time but have had 7 surgeries and just this Dec.10th had a total replacement done. So I guess they were right, but still is the biggest regret of my life. His stories always were fuckn nuts ending with him teary eyed and the two of us doing a slow walk through the woods. Me listening, him just unloading trauma after trauma he and his friend went through, he drug him out more than once after being wounded. He's still around but since his divorce we don't hang out much. Thanks for answering our country's call when we needed you as well. I know it's a different time and different war, but it's the same raw courage and patriotism that made them and you step forward. 💯 percent BADASS! Thank you from the Bruns family here in Northern Michigan. Take care.
All of these jobs were dangerous but to me there's something about the tunnel rats. Going into the dark basically with just a flashlight which made you a target and a pistol which was a true last resort goes well past bravery. They are one of the true heroes. Even the ones who survived and weren't physically injured paid with their mental health. I see all of this garbage these days calling people who wipe off counters and equipment heroes and these truly brave men barely get a mention in most cases. To all who served in this truly dangerous job we owe you more than we can truly repay!
When I got sent to Desert Storm, one of my platoon NCOs was a tunnel rat in Vietnam. He said it was terrifying. He was eventually transferred to an even more dangerous job as an M60 gunner on a Huey, He said that was the job that gave him the most nightmares. Anyway, as we got ready to ship out to the desert, he had a nervous breakdown and was left behind. Good for him, he already gave enough for his country.
There was nothing really hero like about the Americans invading Vietnam. They had no business there. The real true hero’s are the Vietcong , kicking out the invaders and unifying their country. Which is all they wanted in the first place.
@Leon Leon you need to rethink your statement, it's douchebags like you that spit on brave soldiers returning from war or protest at heroes funerals. I agree that we shouldn't have been in Vietnam but I still praise the brave American heroes who fought there! Take your troll ass elsewhere!
I met a tunnel rat who had first turned to drugs to deal with the fear of his job, and it took over 30 years and then turning to religion to eventually overcome his addiction and deal with the PTSD. I get shivers just thinking what these brave souls on both sides dealt with in the tunnels.
Indeed. There's a movie scene where a soldier gets stuck after falling into a tunnel and I remember being so freaked out by the thought of being stuck and not being able to see what was happening in the tunnel but knowing full well it contained a viscous enemy that would love to cause you as much pain as possible
My father was a Tunnel Rat. He told me he enter under age, 16/17. He did 3 tours in Vietnam. Growing up wasn’t easy, he didn’t get any help until 20 yrs after he came home from Vietnam. I know he he was 162nd n 173rd. He has medals like Air Medal, Purple Heart. He just passed away this passed April 2022.
My late husband was a tunnel rat. He had extreme nightmares that were so violent. He turned to drinking beyond unbelievable. He committed suicide. He was so tormented and suffered severe PTSD.
So sorry to hear, ultimate sacrifice that so few appreciate. They were a different animal. Can't imagine how that must have been. I heard they were vital in that war.
Sorry for your loss, Elaine, My late Uncle was a "Tunnel Rat" and told me some stories. made my hair on my arms stand straight up. he also suffered nightmares, during his time in vietnam he had major injuries more than half the muscles in his right leg was blown away massive scares (as you can imagine) he lost a finger, and part of his hearing. he spent a whole year in a body cast. I have the most respect for him and all who fought for this country, he dies of Brain Cancer (agent orange, I'm sure)
No war since Vietnam can be compared to what them boys went through. My uncle served with the 1st Calvary, and when I came back from Afghanistan I felt I didn’t even deserve to stand in the same room. To all those who served in Nam, you guys are the real Goats. Welcome home hero’s.
I have met a tunnel rat also whilst serving in the Australian Army , but he didn’t tell me then it was years after I got out & I came across some footage on TH-cam that I saw him , I knew there was something different with this officer he was not like any other officer I had to deal with he was a bloody good bloke , also if anyone is interested there is a book called Tunnels of CuChi the iron triangle it is incredible insight on the tunnel system & the men who went in them , the officer I met is also in this book but I will not mention his name but when I read what he did absolutely incredible, as were all the tunnel rats .
My grandfather was 5'3" and weighed 99lbs when he went in for his draft physical. At the time and based off of prior war standards he was considered by the dr to be too small to enlist which was originally what he was told. His best friend had been drafted and sent over a year before him and from what I understand enlisted were the only ones that knew of the tunnel rats. His group worked very closely with the tunnel rats he knew of 3 that died. He sent my grandfather a letter that arrived 3 days before his 18th birthday that was him pleading with my grandfather to enlist in the navy or air force because he knew thats where that would put him if drafted. He told him how bad it was and when my grandfather went to the navy to enlist the navy recruiter told him he was crazy and they would not take him he was too small. He gave the recruiter the 3 page letter and the recruiter dated the enlistment form for that day and told him if he got a letter from the army come back without opening it and they would finish the paperwork. About 1 week later he got his draft letter went to the navy recruiter signed up the navy recruiter opened the letter and called the army recruiter to tell them they made a mistake and my grandfather already joined the navy. Every time I hear anything about the Vietnam War I go back to what became known to our family as our uncle's foresight and that navy recruiter and how different my life could have been had it not been for 1 letter written in Vietnam.
My brother in law was drafted by the army in 1968. He didnt want to go to Vietnam and briefly considered going to Canada to avoid the draft. He took the military battery test(later called ASVAB), scored very high and he joined the Navy. The officer in charge of Navy recruiting in that area(West Memphis, AR) gave his family their number just in case the police or sheriffs came to try to arrest him for draft evasion. Lo and behold, the county sheriffs came looking for him and after talking to the Navy, they left. He served in the Navy from 1968-1972.
A tunnel rat I knew called himself a spider. At 5'4", he was a good basketball player but was incredible at ping pong. His reflexes were tremendous. He showed no ill effects from combat.
Takes a special person to move through that kinda thing, super special person. Sad we don't have more like them.not only do they condition people it takes a special mind.
@@paulprigge1209 07/2022 am 74 years old and PTSD hit me 20 years ago. I've been living with it since I got out of the service 1970. Vietnam 1968/1969 I found out I had it from the V.A. hospital
These videos are so important. This is the first time I’ve heard about these jobs. True warriors with balls of steel! I salute every person who has served their country. So young and having the strength physically and mentally to accomplish mind blowing bravery.
My dad was over there. He was a mortarman and he carried the radio. I asked him one time which part of Vietnam was scariest and he said it was the Micheline rubber plantation, because there was no where for them to hide but there were places the enemy snipers could hide.
What about the Chopper crews? Them guys would fly into direct fire to pick up grunts on the ground, lots of crews were wounded or killed flying into hot L Z's
You should look into the scout pilots in Vietnam. Search hunter killer teams - my dad was a scout in the 1/9 Air Cav. But to your point- the Huey pilots were badass too!
Bless all these veterans. My late father-in-law was a Marine who served a tour as a radio relay operator. According to what he told my husband (my father-in-law passed before we met) when he DID speak about the war (never wanted to talk about anything related to Vietnam) he helped construct the radio towers so the field phones worked. Apparently these men were sitting ducks because it was all open country with nothing to cover them while they set up the towers.
I have a friend who was a tunnel rat. That's a subject that to this day he doesn't want to talk about or re-live and any way. I respect that. He's been through a hell most can never truly understand.
Met a vet in a bar and told him I'd rather kill people that deserve it than kill animals. He took offense and gave me a gut punch when I was just trying to leave,guess I deserved it since I never walked in his shoes
Definitely could have been worse, had no idea who I was speaking with. My stepfather was in Vietnam. Thought I was tough till I called hime a pussy ass x marine, got my ass handed to me with a postage stamp so I'd know where to send it back.🤣
I respectfully submit another very dangerous job of the Vietnam War. The Huey door gunner. I have a friend who did two tours as a door gunner. Amazing! Personally I was an aircrewman on a Navy P-3 Orion during those days. My job was nothing at all like my door gunner friend.
I had a friend who was a Navy door gunner. He would talk sometimes about being on the ship but never about a mission on a chopper. The only time he would talk a little bit about being on a mission was when he got wounded, but not even much about that.
Am writing this in regards and with respect for my uncle Alans best friend Jack Brant. He was a tunnel rat and could never escape the horrors and PTSD he brought back with him. The paranoia and thoughts that death and souls were following him led him to take his life about 15 years ago. A TRUE FORGOTTEN HERO who gave so much at a young age and paid for it the rest of his life. Pray now you rest in peace Jack
The closest I got to Nam was San Diego. Just thinking about the tunnels makes my palms sweat. My friend Jim Fries was a tunnel rat. I'm a Vietnam vet in name only. I'm not qualified to shine his boots. Fortunately he seems to have come through in good shape.
The way our team worked is; we were always back at the battalion base camp until a infantry unit would make contact with the VC and find a tunnel complex. The team would be assembled and flown out to the location of the Infantry usually a company size unit. We would then explore the tunnels for the enemy and most importantly looking for documents, maps ect. that our S-2 Intelligence could use. Explosives would then be flown in by choppers and we woudl go back into the tunnels and set the explosives to destroy the tunnels. Send everything captured back to Battalion.
I served with a former Tunnel Rat during Desert Storm. Every time a SCUD came in made for an interesting recovery for my friend Blade. Blade was his nickname since he carried so many knives on him. His descriptions of searching the tunnels were enough to scare the living hell out of you. Unfortunately my friend now has dementia. I can only hope that he can forge the terror that he had to endure.
Personally had two tours in RVN. Never scratched. 2nd tour I was a company commander and presented only one Purple Heart. Soldier was hit by mortar fire on Nui Ba Den.
Slippery, a tunnel rat, Ronnie Roe patrol Boat, Harold Carter crew chief, Floyd Door guner, Roy Puttman marine, some Of the nices men I ever met , THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICR
My late father-in-law was a tunnel rat. He never talked about it. I understood that I wasn't supposed to ask either. I remember one day when we were watching TV and one of the characters was speaking Vietnamese. He jumped up and turned off the TV. Apparently the association was too strong, even decades later. Towards the end of his life (he was hit young and hard with a memory ailment) he would flip through his memory book of photos - and every time he'd see pictures from those days he'd get a worried look and tell me that those were dark times. The third segment of this video was hard for me to watch.
Thank you for his service. By the way, please never let the leftist anti-war narratives gotten into you. Military interventions, by US or any forces for that matter, should always be judged on its intention and not the outcome which can never be 100% guaranteed to be desirable. US did the right thing by trying to protect Republic of South Vietnam from being taking over by North Vietnamese Commie terrorists, just like it did the right thing to defend South Korea from being taken over by North Korean Commie terrorists, backed by international Commie giants Soviets and China. Communism has always been a global movement, back then and now. Current Commie Vietnam terrorist regime has been Commie China's puppet for decades. Few Westerners know this. Since Vietnamese Commie traitor Pham Van Dong signed agreement to give Vietnam's territory to China in 1958, the traitorous Commie Vietnam regime keeps giving more islands and territories to China. Commie Vietnam's defense minister Lê Đức Anh even ordered Vietnamese sailors to stand in shallow water to be targets for Chinese Navy during the Spratly Island massacre in 1988 (search for "China´s massacre in Spratly islands [real footage 1988]" on TH-cam to see the massacre), to make it easier for Commie China to invade without resistance. For his "accomplishment", he was promoted by Commie China to be President of Vietnam 4 years later (1992-1997) in 1992. All true! Recently, it couldn't even close Vietnam's border with China at the height of the Chinese virus pandemic without its master's permission. Even Vietnam's current red flag with central yellow star was imported from Commie China in 1930's by Commie Chinese puppet Ho Chi Minh, to replace the national flag of Vietnam, the yellow flag with 3 red stripes of 2000 years since the Trung Sisters Dynasty in 40 AD. All true. One can search "cuop dat dan" (meaning "land robbing of citizens") right here on YT to see endless footages and the torrid truth about current Vietnam under the corrupt and murderous Communist regime which can rob lands and homes from citizens anytime, since 1953 (Ho Chi Minh's land reform 1953-1956, killing nearly 1 million North Vietnamese), all over the country, spanning for decades. US has tried to save Republic of South Vietnam from this mass murdering albeit unsuccessfully due to formidable global Commie giants' Soviets and China committed to take over South Vietnam via their minions the Noth Vietnamese Commie terrorists in this proxy war, and also due to the massively porous border between Vietnam and Laos (geographical challenge that South Korea didn't have to deal with) which Ho Chi Minh trail was formed to infiltrate North Vietnamese Commie terrorists to South Vietnam for its ultimate invasion.
Thank you for yer service Sgt. Bishop. I was an MP at El Toro Marine base in April 1975. I had the privilege of serving with CMOH AWARDEE Richard Pitman. Years later while riding with the Nam Vet MC one of my club Brothers was a TR operating in the I corps area. Ya didn't have to have a special dangerous job to suffer from PTSD. I can't tell you how many guys died in Viet Nam whose bodies weren't buried until decades later. I'm 67 and in my lifetime have never seen America victorious in a war. WTH is that all about. Sometimes I think Nam Vets don't want to hear welcome home. It's become cliche and not sincere. Don't BS these guys, their wounds are real and they are brave badasses who don't need pampered. I worked at the VA hospital fayetteville Ar. for a time during 2020 and the covid whatever. Viet Nam or Middle east, wounds are still wounds and I gaurentee the real ones are not imagined. Simper Fi, Lcpl M. Corliss USMC 1973-1978
When I was in Basic Training at Ft Jackson, SC there was a guy in my platoon who was only like 5’1” tall. He was tapped real early for Tunnel Rat training. I often wonder what ever happened to him. His name is not on the wall.
Man, it takes a unique person to be a tunnel rat. This guy had to be void of all phobias before he could even start training. I can't even imagine doing something like that. Takes a serious set of balls.
I have watched a lot of these Vietnam War videos while researching & visiting & seeking my own truths about the war & the colonial history of South-East Asia. I pay my respect to the soldiers on both sides & honour the people who had to live in the tunnels & go down the tunnels to defend their country & the brave "Tunnel Rats" who were sacrificing so much to do their job. There would have been no need for Pibbers & Wild Weasels & Tunnels if the French had not started the War & when they lost then Americans & Aussies had to try & defend or finish what they started & they failed. I have been down many of the Tunnels in peace time at Cu Chi, Long Phuoc in the south & Vinh Moc in Quang Tri Province where the villagers tunnelled down to survive the "Rolling Thunder" carpet bombing of their villages above. So the stories are legendary on both sides! Just be hopes now that the US don't elect another President that puts war ahead of everything else to fight causes & make enemies, and US military generals & armaments industries that push the government into another War, and where allies might be obligued to follow. China & Russia might be playing games now, as all big powers are, but we need to note what someone said on another TH-cam video recently is that the US has lost its last five wars. The cost of another invasion is too high for humanity & for the sake of Hollywood being able to make another round of top War Movies. But these War History docos are very engrossing & not all propaganda. These are the thoughts of a 73yo Aussie who missed conscription into the Australia Army by one day to fight in the Vietnam War in 1968-70 but had many mates who served with honour & suffered greatly for the cause as we saw it then.
I've always been fascinated with Vietnam war. My great uncle fought and died in Cambodia with the Thai army. Never met him but there's a portrait of him wearing US combat helmet and an M16 strapped over his right shoulder. RIP.
We flew 2000 marines into Cambodia in 1975 when Pol Pot was commiting genicide there, lost my good friend Doc, RIP brother, and to those who made it back, welcome home brothers.
My cousin was a tunnel rat. To this day he is heavily medicated to be able to just live a mediocre life. Thank you for the service of all our service men.
I had a friend that was Marine tunnel rat. We spoke on some of his experiences. They related to many of the same pointers mentioned in this video. He was up on Mutters Ridge and went into Hue City at Tet 1968. He was fortunate during his tunnel that times. First friend I've had with that wartime job.
Great video and I respect the heck out of all those guys that Served in Vietnam including to my Dad, a couple of uncles and my father-in-law, that war really took a toll on all of the and then our country did another number on them when they came home….. A serious shame
Had a friend who's dad was a Sapper in the Australian army and tunnel rat in Vietnam. Unfortunately he died after being stuck in a tunnel and asphyxiated due to a smoke grenade. His buddy was unable to get him out.
In 1973 the first squad leader of mine had been a Tunnel Rat. Drank himself out of the Army. Went from a E-6 to a E-2 to a dishonorable discharge in about 6 months.
I served with a few guys like that that got General/Honorable.I was in the same company with a guy who had gotten hooked om heroin, and somehow wound up in Ft Leavenworth, where he had been given the chance to complete his enlistment contract, and receive honorable discharge. First time I met him was on guard duty, and I was Duty Officer. He was PFC with fruit salad on his chest to beat the band (uniform was khakis that night- I forgot why).I learned he had been E-6 In Viet Nam. He got hooked on drugs again while in Germany. and I guess went back to Leavenworth
Got a Tunnel rat in Elizabeth City NC,nickname is Raisin Jack lol,hes 75 by now,was a helecopter mechanic for 30 years at the USCG rebuild facility.Little guy but had some stories as they sent him in head first.
TUNNEL RAT TEAM member during 1967 =1968.. It was a job we all volunteered for. I have no tatoo of a rat and I was 6 feet tall and weightwas 120 pounds. We were on the first team assembled by the 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Infantry Division. We worked out of the S=2 section. I talk with 2 other members of the team often and they are planning a TUNNEL RAT reunion for later this year. I also have stayed in contact with our S-2 officer for over 50years and we remain closest of friends. There was a new 1st Infantry Division museum opened near chicago a few years ago and they contacted most of our team members that are alive. They set up a TUNNEL RAT exibit in the museum. SGT LARRY J.BISHOP Vietnam - 1967 -1968 P.S> I still have some gold I found in a tunnel in the Iron Triagnle while workng a mission with the 1/18 th Infantry we would also find bags and bags of pot.
All the tunnel rats were volunteers. . just goes to show the courage and bravery each one of those tunnel rats had within him. Each one of those men are incredible individuals.
My best friend Steve was assigned to be a Tunnel Rat when he arrived in Vietnam. The Sargent in charge saw his Gung-Ho attitude and thought he would be perfect for the job. After a couple weeks of searching the tunnels and the psychological torture of it all, the reality of Death at the age of 20 hit him hard and he couldn't take it anymore. When he came back from Vietnam, he confessed to me and only me the truth of what he did to get out of Vietnam......My friend the warrior, took his M1911 pistol and shot himself point blank in the knee to escape the madness of the tunnels. He never was quite the same guy after he came home from the Army. He became a quiet, shy man who lived out his life as a Social Worker helping others to salvage their lives and never talked about Vietnam with me or anyone else again. He died of cancer 10 years ago and I never revealed his secret to anyone except here without his true identity. I never judged him as wrong for what he did and was glad to have him for my friend for all those years. RIP my warrior friend, I will never forget you.
It's unfortunate that those officers in charge apparently couldn't accept that some of the Rats just were not cut out for the job. No shame in that. I know my claustrophobia would have made it impossible for me. My best friend from high school took me caving ini W. Va. once. I was ok as long as the caves were large. But when they got smaller and smaller that was it for me. On that same trip we climbed a mountain. Piece of cake for me. But my friend could not do it. never knew he had a fear of heights. There are some things we are born with that no amount of training can surmount. Too bad the Army apparently didn't get that.
@@TheEriekayaker Claustrophobia has very little to do with the fact that you have someone waiting to MURDER you inside the cave. My friend had very little fear of anything before he went into the Army.
Tunnel Rats was a brutal job. So was walking point in a hot area. Use to pull night ambushes which were not fun. 5 guys out all night with claymores set up and complete darkness.
Have a friend who was a tunnel rat. Small but tough. Great guy. I am going to call him and thank him once again for his service. Unbelievable what these men or boys did.👍
My Senior Drill Instructor in basic was a tunnel rat for an entire 13 month tour. The moment the subject came you would literally lose all color in his face then walk away putting someone else in charge. That had a profound effect on many of us.
I was incarcerated at a federal prison in Seagoville Tx. They had an automotive program and the instructor was a Marine who had been a tunnel rat in Vietnam. I only found out when I was in his office and I saw a picture of him and some Marines. I ask him what his job was. At first he didn’t won’t to say. I told him I had been in the Army and was in Desert Storm he finally acquiesced and told me he had been a tunnel rat. He wouldn’t go into details so I didn’t push it. The other dudes in the class knew he had been a Marine and served in Vietnam. One day this Mexican kid yell out in the class room “gooks in the bush”. All hell almost broke loose. Luckily the instructor’s boss was in the other office and he heard it to. If he hadn’t grab a hold of the instructor I hate to think what would have happened. They almost kick that kid out of the class. Later I told the kid that the instructor was a tunnel rat in Nam so you only open up a wound. A few weeks later the instructor told me one of his experience going in a tunnel. I told him he was a better man then me. With my stature I would have been tunnel rat material being 5:5. I was 38yrs old at the time this occurred and had about 8month left to do on my sentence.
TUNNEL RATS! Man I don't know where to begin. Awe, is probably the best start point. Respect.... goes without saying. I simply cannot imagine having the courage. Nor can I even remotely imagine dealing with life after the fact. Hats of, salute... Among men, YOU ARE MEN. And I can only thank you for your bravery and sacrifice.
IN THE LATE 70s, I LIVED IN JOINT SERVICES BARRACKS IN THE PENTAGON. THE HEAD CLERK IN MY DETACHMENT WAS A PUPPY PUSHER, DOG HANDLER IN THE AIR FORCE. IN NAM, HE WAS A TUNNEL RAT. MY FIRST EXPERIENCE OF SEEING PTSD. WILL WOULD HAVE THESE PERIODIC EPISODES. THANK GOD WE HAD A GUY WHO SEEN COMBAT IN NAM. HE WAS ABLE TO WALK WILL THROUGH A PROCESS TO CALM HIM DOWN.
We didn't go in the tunnels (My recon unit). We pumped tear gas and colored smoke into entrances and just waited for them and/or the smoke to come out. Then we killed them or took them prisoner. No, it's not nice. One of the most dangerous jobs in Nam, one that is always overlooked, is regular "Straight Leg" infantry. Infantry walked point, infantry attacked enemy positions, infantry patrolled all over the country. Infantry defended installations. Infantry was very dangerous and its job varied from place to place.
I have experienced the cu chi tunnels outside what was once called Saigon, as a tourist in a party of Americans some of which were veterans. Anyone who ventures into those tunnels on an offensive mission has my nuttier and undying respect
My sergeant was a tunnel rat during his second tour.Told me he was scared the entire time underground. He once got unto a long winding tunnel and took several hours to locate some Americans. He said that was more scary then when he was stuck in a tank in Saigon during 68 Tet. Tank in front & directly behind his tank were blown up. Every time they tried to get out of their tank Charlie fired at them. Think he said after what seemed liked several days some Americans freed them.
Those men that "volunteered" to be "Pibbers" were not looking for career enhancement to officer. They were doing a job. I knew a crew member of a patrol boat. It was his assignment and it scared him to death.
Let's hear it for the small guys! RTOs were always the little guys (smaller targets) T rats , same thing, lugging the 60's etc. and don't forget the guys on the Dustoffs!
3 childhood friends whom I grew up with, (Jeremy, Nate, & Kyle) their Dad was a Tunnel Rat. He was a no bullsh*it kinda guy. I wish I could talk to him today. 🐀 💪🇺🇸
The tunnel rats used the M1911 .45 caliber pistol, or a M1917 revolver. Smith & Wesson M10s in .38 caliber were issued to pilots, though possibly a few may have found their way into tunnel rat hands from time to time. But none of them used 9mm pistols -- the US military didn't even adopt them until 1985, long after the end of the Vietnam era.
You are correct I was issued a 45 911 I had my mom send me a Smith & Wesson 38 in a large pineapple upside down cake. can't beleave it made it to me and every enjoyed the cake it was delicious! True Story
While working for a large communication manufacturer, I had 2 tunnel rats working for me. As an example of what that did to them, one carried a bottle of Malox with him, the other one wasn't as bad, but you could tell he was not 100%. I lived on the ship. (USS Kitty Hawk), and never had to worry about that type of duty. Even if I had been on shore duty, I was too big for those duties. Over six feet and about 175 lbs. I liked it just that way. We got caught in the tail of a typhoon and it was easy to tell who had been on a smaller ships such as a Tin Can. We all just took advantage of the ships motion to rock us to sleep while the new guys had their heads either in the head leaning over a toilet or over the rail. They had to clean up any mess they made as well.
9mm😄. 1911 was the standard pistol my friend until the Beretta replaced it around 1990. I met a fellow that was a tunnel rat in Vietnam in the late 90s. He was a little guy which they typically were for ease of maneuvering in the tunnels.
My neighbour was a tunnel rat. Outwardly he had readjusted to life. Nicest guy you would ever want to meet. what got him in the end was cancer/agent orange.
Hey that picture of the tunnel rat you have as the thumbnail for this video is of my father. He was with HMH 361 that's his picture from time magazine. I got that photo after my dad died in 2007 from his ex wife however where did you a colorized copy? I would like to find a copy of it for my gear locker at the station.
My Neighbor ,19 years old ,,,,United States Marine Corps,..... Huey ......Door Gunner. , Killed in Action. April -1969.. RIP.... Buddy Allard. Philadelphia , Pa,
Arguing the most dangerous job in Vietnam is basically an exercise in futility. How about Forward Observers, generally 2 man teams but sometimes just one guy, close enough to eyeball enemy positions and call in fire upon them? And, they ADJUSTED fire so the enemy KNEW those guys were close by!! How about just walking point in a routine Infantry patrol, dealing with ambushes and booby traps? How about LRRP units patrolling deep in enemy territory, 5 man teams surrounded by Divisions of NVA, or crossing invisible borders that had HUGE impacts on receiving help if you got into trouble? And by the way, 90% of "Tunnel Rats" did NOT receive any special training nor weapons, they were just the smallest guys in a Platoon without Claustrophobia. When you see those guys wearing a Tunnel rat patch, there is no such patch, not officially. It's after-war blowhard types that wear them, just like the even worse Vietnam ERA crap! If you weren't in Vietnam, leave that name and those colors off your hats and Tee Shirts!
Forgot to ad; we first started exploring tunnels with 45 cal pistols, then we were sent 38 specials with screw on scilencers and aslo HighStandard 22 Cal pistols with built on scilencers. A lot of the equipment we used was out of Ft. Meade , MD I think. We would set explosives to blow the hell out of the tunnels and make sure they were completely destroyed and never used again. After reading all these comments I never knew there were that many TUNNEL RATS, or were there??? I think alot of people are calling thenselves TR that may not have been. Only my thought on the matter. No one here has mentioned the LRRP members. I have the most respect for any man that was a LRRP member. I slept with a 5 man LRRP team in my tent and I cuuld tell you many hair raising stories about their missions. They were the brave of the braviest men I ever knew. We were stationed just off the A Shau Valley and I can remember they got trapped on a abanden LZ ( LZ Stella) one night by the NVA. I thought I would never see them again but they were in the tent the next morning. I never asked how they did it. One crazy bunch of men. I could tell many interesting stories about Vietnam and it does not bother me. Yes I have PTSD and struggle sometime but doesn't everyone have deamons?? Like the old saying goes I left Vietnam October 23, 1968 ( and thats is a very interestng story also) but I go back every day. I was there last night and woke up with my wife wipping a cold sweat off my body. It never ends but like goes on. To all my Vietnam Brothers I say welcome home brothers, I love you all. SGT LARRY J. BISHOP 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Infantry Division and 3rd Battalion 1st Air Cavalry Division, Dian, Lai Khe, A Shau Valley, South Vietnam 67 -68
You can’t blow up tunnels unless ur in the tunnel
Liars on the internet? Impossible!
While I was in Vietnam I was approached by a Major who asked me if I could make a silencer for the 45 pistols. I was a machinist with "B" company 7th support battalion stationed at Long Bihn. I made 2 models, the first didn't work very well but the second worked well enough to get it out for a "Rat" to give it a try. The feedback was very positive. That prototype was then put into the hands of profesional engineers and I understand was then improved upon. I don't know if it actually ever helped or not but I still have the original in my position. May I add my personal thanks to all that served not only as a "Rat" but in any capacity and branch of the armed services during this war.
@@bm1552 silencers helped tremendously brother. They saved our hearing some. And yes, I still have nightmares. They never go away.
9
A VN Veteran I worked with was a tunnel rat. He told of the way he would go into tunnels others just would not. His short stature was not just what made him good for it but the bravery was also a factor. On one occasion he found a large NV underground bunker filled with explosives. He was ordered to set a charge and when he was getting from the tunnel the explosives went off. He was raised off the ground. The commanding officer arrived and took command. The commander who was there AFTER the fact received a bronze star. The man I speak of didn't get his award until a few years ago. A Bronze Star, Thanks to all that served and have and do. God bless you Dave.
You gotta have balls to go into a dark tunnel knowing the enemy, who wants nothing more than to kill you, is there and knows the terrain. God Bless those guys.
That said, I'm sick of the US being the world's policeman and losing brave men and woman and trillions of dollars intervening in what is a CIVIL WAR within the country.
Just not worth it as our leaders knew very early on. Scumbags only cared about the optics for their next election, not the dead and maimed US casualties.
Makes my blood boil.
My mate was a tunnel rat - 1 Troop Australia. John, I hold you dearly with the highest respect.
My father in law was in Vietnam and volunteered to serve in a forward outpost - I think that’s what he called it, I don’t ask, just wait for him to talk about it. In my opinion he’s never quite recovered from his experiences over there. If he starts drinking, his stoic exterior is allowed to fall away and he gets extremely emotional about his days there. I love him very much and admire him for the sacrifices he made.
It was O P
@@michaelwisner4941 it was FUBAR.
My father never talks about it, he has physical scars, but doesn't share the emotional part. I don't pry, just respect all they endured.
The tunnel rats we had with our recon team get my high respect, I had to go into a tunnel to to try and save one of our guys, I was a combat medic and it was like nothing i had experienced before.
My late brother in law, Tommy Carosia was at runnel rat......never wanted t talk about it. He ended up getting killed in a robbery here.
@@randy3907- Randy was a man who risked his life for others. A truckload of nerve to be in a small tunnel dug by small people.
I cannot imagine such self discipline. What a hero. God Bless him.
Former tunnel rat Richard Blair worked for my parents. His flashbacks and PTSD occurred two times that I remember that completely left him inconsolable. You just had to wait it out for him to snap out of it. He was one of the nicest men and a proud veteran.
God Bless those men
I have the highest respect for all veterans especially TR Vietnam veterans. At age 18 I was just at a high school and was sure I would be drafted and it 5’ 6” and 125 pounds I knew what my job would be in Vietnam. By the grace of God the draft ended and I was spared the awful memories and nightmares of being a Vietnam veteran. Every friend I have that made it back transformed from high school boys to hardened men with life long ptsd. I ride in an MC and many of my brothers are veterans from Vietnam and Middle East conflicts. To all veterans you have my highest respect and gratitude.
When I was about 8 one of my cousins returned from Vietnam, he was very strange. He told me about his experience as a tunnel rat and said if I joined I would be one also. This was in 1975, I retired from the Army in 2011 after 26 years of service but as a kid I could never appreciate what he had been through.
Back in 1986, one of my divisions 1st class petty officers was a Pibber, much respect for him, he taught me a lot. We stay in touch to this day!
Badass
I heard the Pibbers engaged in some really hardcore fighting. This is the first video I've seen covering these guys in a long time. Respect to the boys 🇺🇲🇦🇺🇬🇧🇳🇿
I cant imagine trying to work up the courage to go into a tunnel. I mean the first time might not be so bad, but if you had or seen a bad experience down there...going down again and again would become horror....nothing but respect for those brave men
I met a tunnel rat - he said, the NVC would position a lethal snake just inside or around a curve in tunnels and that scared him the most. Incredible brave men did that rotten job.
I had quite an experience with the whole Viet Nam
conflict, but that's another comment all it's own.
Among the Pibs, the Air force attack planes, and
our warriors with nerves
of steel - the Tunnel Rats,
our rates of attrition would range from a third of our total - all the way
to more than two thirds.
All of my admiration and
respect to jobs that most guys just couldn't handle.
A thank you and a prolonged salute.
I've known many many vets.
I have harrowing stories from some vets, - others,
not surprisingly, just will not talk about it; 'that' must be respected and taken, - with or without
understanding it.
Thanks guys 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇦🇺.
I met an unassuming guy back in the early 90's while working on British bikes. After we got to know each other we both talked abd found out we were ex millitary. He was a Coast Guard and I was an ex Army in the medical corps.. After we worked for a bit we talked more about our days in the millitary..i.mafe the reference "puddle pirate" and he smiled and said "arrrr!" I found out he was a team leader on a pby boat in the Delta..had some intresting stories about his time on the Delta..later he told me I would have made a fine member of his crew back in the day... I remember even to this day thinking he must have really thought highly of me to tell me that. Later he told me on one of his last patrolls, of the 18 guys on 3 boats that went out that day 2 boars were ambushed and completely destroyed by RPG fire and everyone on his boat except 1 other gunner were killed and he and the survivor were the only ones that made it back to base..the surviving gunner took his life a week later and he was the only one left that survived..he decided he had done enough and was transferred back to the states and left the Coast Guard...he had PTSD for the rest of his life till bone cancer finally did him in about 5 years after I last saw him. I still think of him often and was a really great guy. RIP Craig! Hope you found the peace you deserved!
Good on you mate. Sounds like you both made big impressions on each other.
Had a neighbor that bragged about the coast guard, didn't know they had anything to do with the war.
I went through Army OCS in 1981 with a fellow who was a Navy enlisted on a PBR during Vietnam. He had some very harrowing stories to say the least. He was twice wounded in firefights. Patrolling the Mekong Delta in a PBY, you were completely exposed and in most cases in short range for every weapon from AK to 12.7mm including RPG's. Their greatest asset was their firepower and their high speed.
For the USAF pilots going on 'trolling for SAMS' that too had to be mission for someone with 316 stainless steel balls. Their courage was over the top.
The tunnel rats too had to have bowling ball sized gonads made of 316 stainless steel. In Shitcanistan I ABSOLUTELY HATED having to go into caves for fear of what we might find. Your radios did not work so you could not call for reinforcements. More often than not went to the tunnel entrance and got a tight, 8 digit GPS grid and let the USAF drop Mk 84 2000 pound LGB's into them. The concussion of the bombs would kill the inhabitants of the cave outright or would suck up all of the oxygen, suffocating them. Peace through superior firepower.
For the Vietnam tunnel rats to crawl into a hole with nothing more than a 1911, having no idea what they might encounter, was a mission only for someone who had stainless steel balls the size of Rhode Island and courage beyond words. I have nothing but the utmost in respect and admiration for that those brave soldiers did. I did a lot of dangerous things in 3 tours in Iraq but I doubt I could have EVER done the mission of the tunnel rat.
Sempr fi my friend!
@Cave Troll was just thinking the same, those balls would of been one hell of a hindrance.
Sure they had courage to spare, no doubt. My neighbor was a tunnel rat and he was a fall down drunk, often going to jail for drinking related offenses. But when he was in that place between buzzed and wasted he,my dad, & myself would be playing setback and he'd start telling stories. My dad was a Korean war veteran. I tried enlisting, three separate times, but had a issue with my right knee that kept me from serving. I thought it was B.S. at the time but have had 7 surgeries and just this Dec.10th had a total replacement done. So I guess they were right, but still is the biggest regret of my life.
His stories always were fuckn nuts ending with him teary eyed and the two of us doing a slow walk through the woods. Me listening, him just unloading trauma after trauma he and his friend went through, he drug him out more than once after being wounded.
He's still around but since his divorce we don't hang out much.
Thanks for answering our country's call when we needed you as well. I know it's a different time and different war, but it's the same raw courage and patriotism that made them and you step forward. 💯 percent BADASS!
Thank you from the Bruns family here in Northern Michigan. Take care.
I loved the 1911 Colt 45. Great weapon
After some time in Vietnam I became a point man. As hazardous as that was I still prefered it to being in the tunnels
I can’t imagine anything more terrifying than going inside a tunnel where you might meet dozens of enemies, venomous snakes, and booby traps.
All of these jobs were dangerous but to me there's something about the tunnel rats. Going into the dark basically with just a flashlight which made you a target and a pistol which was a true last resort goes well past bravery. They are one of the true heroes. Even the ones who survived and weren't physically injured paid with their mental health. I see all of this garbage these days calling people who wipe off counters and equipment heroes and these truly brave men barely get a mention in most cases. To all who served in this truly dangerous job we owe you more than we can truly repay!
Yes they have big balls
Check out their death rate. It's staggering.
When I got sent to Desert Storm, one of my platoon NCOs was a tunnel rat in Vietnam. He said it was terrifying. He was eventually transferred to an even more dangerous job as an M60 gunner on a Huey, He said that was the job that gave him the most nightmares. Anyway, as we got ready to ship out to the desert, he had a nervous breakdown and was left behind. Good for him, he already gave enough for his country.
There was nothing really hero like about the Americans invading Vietnam. They had no business there. The real true hero’s are the Vietcong , kicking out the invaders and unifying their country. Which is all they wanted in the first place.
@Leon Leon you need to rethink your statement, it's douchebags like you that spit on brave soldiers returning from war or protest at heroes funerals. I agree that we shouldn't have been in Vietnam but I still praise the brave American heroes who fought there! Take your troll ass elsewhere!
I met a tunnel rat who had first turned to drugs to deal with the fear of his job, and it took over 30 years and then turning to religion to eventually overcome his addiction and deal with the PTSD. I get shivers just thinking what these brave souls on both sides dealt with in the tunnels.
Yeah, I'm sure you did .
PERIOD💯😪
Boo-hoo
Indeed. There's a movie scene where a soldier gets stuck after falling into a tunnel and I remember being so freaked out by the thought of being stuck and not being able to see what was happening in the tunnel but knowing full well it contained a viscous enemy that would love to cause you as much pain as possible
They'd stick the bamboo up your tuckus
My father was a Tunnel Rat. He told me he enter under age, 16/17. He did 3 tours in Vietnam. Growing up wasn’t easy, he didn’t get any help until 20 yrs after he came home from Vietnam. I know he he was 162nd n 173rd. He has medals like Air Medal, Purple Heart. He just passed away this passed April 2022.
My late husband was a tunnel rat. He had extreme nightmares that were so violent. He turned to drinking beyond unbelievable. He committed suicide. He was so tormented and suffered severe PTSD.
I’m sorry for your loss. Sounds like you stuck with him, that makes you a truly wonderful woman.
Thanks for supporting a Vietnam Veteran
So sorry to hear, ultimate sacrifice that so few appreciate. They were a different animal. Can't imagine how that must have been. I heard they were vital in that war.
I know how you had felt and my hats off to you. They were all heroes beyond belief. The lives they saved I think they all should have gotten the MOH.
Sorry for your loss, Elaine, My late Uncle was a "Tunnel Rat" and told me some stories. made my hair on my arms stand straight up. he also suffered nightmares, during his time in vietnam he had major injuries more than half the muscles in his right leg was blown away massive scares (as you can imagine) he lost a finger, and part of his hearing. he spent a whole year in a body cast. I have the most respect for him and all who fought for this country, he dies of Brain Cancer (agent orange, I'm sure)
No war since Vietnam can be compared to what them boys went through. My uncle served with the 1st Calvary, and when I came back from Afghanistan I felt I didn’t even deserve to stand in the same room. To all those who served in Nam, you guys are the real Goats. Welcome home hero’s.
These guys deserve a lot more recognition that they have gotten.
My dad was the last commander of the Wild Weasels (17th WWS) in Vietnam. He left Vietnam on 29 October 1974. We were glad to see him back home alive.
Had two NAM tours. Never scratched. My next door neighbor was a tunnel rat. Bravest guy I knew.
I have met a tunnel rat also whilst serving in the Australian Army , but he didn’t tell me then it was years after I got out & I came across some footage on TH-cam that I saw him , I knew there was something different with this officer he was not like any other officer I had to deal with he was a bloody good bloke , also if anyone is interested there is a book called Tunnels of CuChi the iron triangle it is incredible insight on the tunnel system & the men who went in them , the officer I met is also in this book but I will not mention his name but when I read what he did absolutely incredible, as were all the tunnel rats .
My grandfather was 5'3" and weighed 99lbs when he went in for his draft physical. At the time and based off of prior war standards he was considered by the dr to be too small to enlist which was originally what he was told. His best friend had been drafted and sent over a year before him and from what I understand enlisted were the only ones that knew of the tunnel rats. His group worked very closely with the tunnel rats he knew of 3 that died. He sent my grandfather a letter that arrived 3 days before his 18th birthday that was him pleading with my grandfather to enlist in the navy or air force because he knew thats where that would put him if drafted. He told him how bad it was and when my grandfather went to the navy to enlist the navy recruiter told him he was crazy and they would not take him he was too small. He gave the recruiter the 3 page letter and the recruiter dated the enlistment form for that day and told him if he got a letter from the army come back without opening it and they would finish the paperwork. About 1 week later he got his draft letter went to the navy recruiter signed up the navy recruiter opened the letter and called the army recruiter to tell them they made a mistake and my grandfather already joined the navy. Every time I hear anything about the Vietnam War I go back to what became known to our family as our uncle's foresight and that navy recruiter and how different my life could have been had it not been for 1 letter written in Vietnam.
My brother in law was drafted by the army in 1968. He didnt want to go to Vietnam and briefly considered going to Canada to avoid the draft. He took the military battery test(later called ASVAB), scored very high and he joined the Navy. The officer in charge of Navy recruiting in that area(West Memphis, AR) gave his family their number just in case the police or sheriffs came to try to arrest him for draft evasion. Lo and behold, the county sheriffs came looking for him and after talking to the Navy, they left. He served in the Navy from 1968-1972.
Great story, thank you.
Sure this is a cool comment but it’s way too long so I cba reading it
@@gerrardanderson6376 what a rude response
A tunnel rat I knew called himself a spider. At 5'4", he was a good basketball player but was incredible at ping pong. His reflexes were tremendous. He showed no ill effects from combat.
Takes a special person to move through that kinda thing, super special person. Sad we don't have more like them.not only do they condition people it takes a special mind.
Sometimes PTSD shows up later in life.
@@paulprigge1209 07/2022 am 74 years old and PTSD hit me 20 years ago. I've been living with it since I got out of the service 1970. Vietnam 1968/1969 I found out I had it from the V.A. hospital
These videos are so important. This is the first time I’ve heard about these jobs. True warriors with balls of steel! I salute every person who has served their country. So young and having the strength physically and mentally to accomplish mind blowing bravery.
I get claustrophobic just thinking about being a tunnel rat 😖 much respect for the men that went in there and bravely did that job
I have a friend who was a tunnel rat. He never wants to talk about it. He is a great guy that was scared by the events that happened there.
My dad was over there. He was a mortarman and he carried the radio. I asked him one time which part of Vietnam was scariest and he said it was the Micheline rubber plantation, because there was no where for them to hide but there were places the enemy snipers could hide.
I was there in 1968. You couldn't see two feet in any direction.
Friend of mine was a Nam tunnel rat. PTSD is a burden many endure.
What about the Chopper crews? Them guys would fly into direct fire to pick up grunts on the ground, lots of crews were wounded or killed flying into hot L Z's
You should look into the scout pilots in Vietnam. Search hunter killer teams - my dad was a scout in the 1/9 Air Cav. But to your point- the Huey pilots were badass too!
Bless all these veterans. My late father-in-law was a Marine who served a tour as a radio relay operator. According to what he told my husband (my father-in-law passed before we met) when he DID speak about the war (never wanted to talk about anything related to Vietnam) he helped construct the radio towers so the field phones worked. Apparently these men were sitting ducks because it was all open country with nothing to cover them while they set up the towers.
I have a friend who was a tunnel rat. That's a subject that to this day he doesn't want to talk about or re-live and any way. I respect that. He's been through a hell most can never truly understand.
Met a vet in a bar and told him I'd rather kill people that deserve it than kill animals. He took offense and gave me a gut punch when I was just trying to leave,guess I deserved it since I never walked in his shoes
Definitely could have been worse, had no idea who I was speaking with. My stepfather was in Vietnam. Thought I was tough till I called hime a pussy ass x marine, got my ass handed to me with a postage stamp so I'd know where to send it back.🤣
I respectfully submit another very dangerous job of the Vietnam War. The Huey door gunner. I have a friend who did two tours as a door gunner. Amazing! Personally I was an aircrewman on a Navy P-3 Orion during those days. My job was nothing at all like my door gunner friend.
I had a friend who was a Navy door gunner. He would talk sometimes about being on the ship but never about a mission on a chopper. The only time he would talk a little bit about being on a mission was when he got wounded, but not even much about that.
Much respect to all the Vietnam vets, especially the one's with the most difficult/dangerous jobs!
Am writing this in regards and with respect for my uncle Alans best friend Jack Brant. He was a tunnel rat and could never escape the horrors and PTSD he brought back with him. The paranoia and thoughts that death and souls were following him led him to take his life about 15 years ago. A TRUE FORGOTTEN HERO who gave so much at a young age and paid for it the rest of his life. Pray now you rest in peace Jack
The closest I got to Nam was San Diego. Just thinking about the tunnels makes my palms sweat. My friend Jim Fries was a tunnel rat. I'm a Vietnam vet in name only. I'm not qualified to shine his boots. Fortunately he seems to have come through in good shape.
The way our team worked is; we were always back at the battalion base camp until a infantry unit would make contact with the VC and find a tunnel complex. The team would be assembled and flown out to the location of the Infantry usually a company size unit. We would then explore the tunnels for the enemy and most importantly looking for documents, maps ect. that our S-2 Intelligence could use. Explosives would then be flown in by choppers and we woudl go back into the tunnels and set the explosives to destroy the tunnels. Send everything captured back to Battalion.
I served with a former Tunnel Rat during Desert Storm. Every time a SCUD came in made for an interesting recovery for my friend Blade. Blade was his nickname since he carried so many knives on him. His descriptions of searching the tunnels were enough to scare the living hell out of you. Unfortunately my friend now has dementia. I can only hope that he can forge the terror that he had to endure.
Personally had two tours in RVN. Never scratched. 2nd tour I was a company commander and presented only one Purple Heart. Soldier was hit by mortar fire on Nui Ba Den.
I was there in 1968
Love your channel. Keep up the great content!
Slippery, a tunnel rat, Ronnie Roe patrol
Boat, Harold Carter crew chief, Floyd
Door guner, Roy Puttman marine, some
Of the nices men I ever met ,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICR
Unbelievable what those tunnel rats had to face while there and.... after the war ended, my heart goes out to all of them
Respect for all tunnel rats! My first fear is being in a confined area. Throw in traps and enemy soldiers? Forget it!
My late father-in-law was a tunnel rat. He never talked about it. I understood that I wasn't supposed to ask either. I remember one day when we were watching TV and one of the characters was speaking Vietnamese. He jumped up and turned off the TV. Apparently the association was too strong, even decades later. Towards the end of his life (he was hit young and hard with a memory ailment) he would flip through his memory book of photos - and every time he'd see pictures from those days he'd get a worried look and tell me that those were dark times.
The third segment of this video was hard for me to watch.
Thank you for his service. By the way, please never let the leftist anti-war narratives gotten into you. Military interventions, by US or any forces for that matter, should always be judged on its intention and not the outcome which can never be 100% guaranteed to be desirable. US did the right thing by trying to protect Republic of South Vietnam from being taking over by North Vietnamese Commie terrorists, just like it did the right thing to defend South Korea from being taken over by North Korean Commie terrorists, backed by international Commie giants Soviets and China. Communism has always been a global movement, back then and now. Current Commie Vietnam terrorist regime has been Commie China's puppet for decades. Few Westerners know this. Since Vietnamese Commie traitor Pham Van Dong signed agreement to give Vietnam's territory to China in 1958, the traitorous Commie Vietnam regime keeps giving more islands and territories to China. Commie Vietnam's defense minister Lê Đức Anh even ordered Vietnamese sailors to stand in shallow water to be targets for Chinese Navy during the Spratly Island massacre in 1988 (search for "China´s massacre in Spratly islands [real footage 1988]" on TH-cam to see the massacre), to make it easier for Commie China to invade without resistance. For his "accomplishment", he was promoted by Commie China to be President of Vietnam 4 years later (1992-1997) in 1992. All true! Recently, it couldn't even close Vietnam's border with China at the height of the Chinese virus pandemic without its master's permission. Even Vietnam's current red flag with central yellow star was imported from Commie China in 1930's by Commie Chinese puppet Ho Chi Minh, to replace the national flag of Vietnam, the yellow flag with 3 red stripes of 2000 years since the Trung Sisters Dynasty in 40 AD. All true.
One can search "cuop dat dan" (meaning "land robbing of citizens") right here on YT to see endless footages and the torrid truth about current Vietnam under the corrupt and murderous Communist regime which can rob lands and homes from citizens anytime, since 1953 (Ho Chi Minh's land reform 1953-1956, killing nearly 1 million North Vietnamese), all over the country, spanning for decades. US has tried to save Republic of South Vietnam from this mass murdering albeit unsuccessfully due to formidable global Commie giants' Soviets and China committed to take over South Vietnam via their minions the Noth Vietnamese Commie terrorists in this proxy war, and also due to the massively porous border between Vietnam and Laos (geographical challenge that South Korea didn't have to deal with) which Ho Chi Minh trail was formed to infiltrate North Vietnamese Commie terrorists to South Vietnam for its ultimate invasion.
I don’t know how those Tunnel Rats fit in those tunnels with such huge balls.
Thank you for yer service Sgt. Bishop. I was an MP at El Toro Marine base in April 1975. I had the privilege of serving with CMOH AWARDEE Richard Pitman. Years later while riding with the Nam Vet MC one of my club Brothers was a TR operating in the I corps area. Ya didn't have to have a special dangerous job to suffer from PTSD. I can't tell you how many guys died in Viet Nam whose bodies weren't buried until decades later. I'm 67 and in my lifetime have never seen America victorious in a war. WTH is that all about. Sometimes I think Nam Vets don't want to hear welcome home. It's become cliche and not sincere. Don't BS these guys, their wounds are real and they are brave badasses who don't need pampered. I worked at the VA hospital fayetteville Ar. for a time during 2020 and the covid whatever. Viet Nam or Middle east, wounds are still wounds and I gaurentee the real ones are not imagined. Simper Fi, Lcpl M. Corliss USMC 1973-1978
You sir are one hundred percent correct. I was there in 1968/1969 I was a thank commander SSgt.
When I was in Basic Training at Ft Jackson, SC there was a guy in my platoon who was only like 5’1” tall. He was tapped real early for Tunnel Rat training. I often wonder what ever happened to him. His name is not on the wall.
Man, it takes a unique person to be a tunnel rat. This guy had to be void of all phobias before he could even start training. I can't even imagine doing something like that. Takes a serious set of balls.
I have watched a lot of these Vietnam War videos while researching & visiting & seeking my own truths about the war & the colonial history of South-East Asia. I pay my respect to the soldiers on both sides & honour the people who had to live in the tunnels & go down the tunnels to defend their country & the brave "Tunnel Rats" who were sacrificing so much to do their job. There would have been no need for Pibbers & Wild Weasels & Tunnels if the French had not started the War & when they lost then Americans & Aussies had to try & defend or finish what they started & they failed. I have been down many of the Tunnels in peace time at Cu Chi, Long Phuoc in the south & Vinh Moc in Quang Tri Province where the villagers tunnelled down to survive the "Rolling Thunder" carpet bombing of their villages above. So the stories are legendary on both sides! Just be hopes now that the US don't elect another President that puts war ahead of everything else to fight causes & make enemies, and US military generals & armaments industries that push the government into another War, and where allies might be obligued to follow. China & Russia might be playing games now, as all big powers are, but we need to note what someone said on another TH-cam video recently is that the US has lost its last five wars. The cost of another invasion is too high for humanity & for the sake of Hollywood being able to make another round of top War Movies. But these War History docos are very engrossing & not all propaganda. These are the thoughts of a 73yo Aussie who missed conscription into the Australia Army by one day to fight in the Vietnam War in 1968-70 but had many mates who served with honour & suffered greatly for the cause as we saw it then.
I was stationed in CuChi 1968
I honestly think the Tunnel Rats were the bravest of the brave, the courage this took is extraordinary!
Big respect for these vietnam veterans from a french friend
I've always been fascinated with Vietnam war. My great uncle fought and died in Cambodia with the Thai army. Never met him but there's a portrait of him wearing US combat helmet and an M16 strapped over his right shoulder. RIP.
Me too, glad I was too young to serve, just the luck of the draw.
We flew 2000 marines into Cambodia in 1975 when Pol Pot was commiting genicide there, lost my good friend Doc, RIP brother, and to those who made it back, welcome home brothers.
Great salute for those unsung heroes who took those very dangerous job in the service during that conflict
Indeed. You description is good & fair. But not complete. SOG needs to be included big time..!!!
My cousin was a tunnel rat. To this day he is heavily medicated to be able to just live a mediocre life. Thank you for the service of all our service men.
I had a friend that was Marine tunnel rat. We spoke on some of his experiences. They related to many of the same pointers mentioned in this video. He was up on Mutters Ridge and went into Hue City at Tet 1968. He was fortunate during his tunnel that times. First friend I've had with that wartime job.
Your presentation is owsome
Great video and I respect the heck out of all those guys that Served in Vietnam including to my Dad, a couple of uncles and my father-in-law, that war really took a toll on all of the and then our country did another number on them when they came home….. A serious shame
Had a friend who's dad was a Sapper in the Australian army and tunnel rat in Vietnam. Unfortunately he died after being stuck in a tunnel and asphyxiated due to a smoke grenade. His buddy was unable to get him out.
I think door gunner on helicopter was no clam bake.
In 1973 the first squad leader of mine had been a Tunnel Rat. Drank himself out of the Army. Went from a E-6 to a E-2 to a dishonorable discharge in about 6 months.
I served with a few guys like that that got General/Honorable.I was in the same company with a guy who had gotten hooked om heroin, and somehow wound up in Ft Leavenworth, where he had been given the chance to complete his enlistment contract, and receive honorable discharge. First time I met him was on guard duty, and I was Duty Officer. He was PFC with fruit salad on his chest to beat the band (uniform was khakis that night- I forgot why).I learned he had been E-6 In Viet Nam. He got hooked on drugs again while in Germany. and I guess went back to Leavenworth
Got a Tunnel rat in Elizabeth City NC,nickname is Raisin Jack lol,hes 75 by now,was a helecopter mechanic for 30 years at the USCG rebuild facility.Little guy but had some stories as they sent him in head first.
TUNNEL RAT TEAM member during 1967 =1968.. It was a job we all volunteered for. I have no tatoo of a rat and I was 6 feet tall and weightwas
120 pounds. We were on the first team assembled by the 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Infantry Division. We worked out of the S=2 section. I talk with 2 other members of the team often and they are planning a TUNNEL RAT reunion for later this year. I also have stayed in contact with our S-2 officer for over 50years and we remain closest of friends. There was a new 1st Infantry Division museum opened near chicago a few years ago and they contacted most of our team members that are alive. They set up a TUNNEL RAT exibit in the museum. SGT LARRY J.BISHOP Vietnam - 1967 -1968 P.S> I still have some gold I found in a tunnel in the Iron Triagnle while workng a mission with the 1/18 th Infantry we would also find bags and bags of pot.
U keep the gold,send me the pot💥
All the tunnel rats were volunteers. . just goes to show the courage and bravery each one of those tunnel rats had within him. Each one of those men are incredible individuals.
My best friend Steve was assigned to be a Tunnel Rat when he arrived in Vietnam. The Sargent in charge saw his Gung-Ho attitude and thought he would be perfect for the job. After a couple weeks of searching the tunnels and the psychological torture of it all, the reality of Death at the age of 20 hit him hard and he couldn't take it anymore. When he came back from Vietnam, he confessed to me and only me the truth of what he did to get out of Vietnam......My friend the warrior, took his M1911 pistol and shot himself point blank in the knee to escape the madness of the tunnels. He never was quite the same guy after he came home from the Army. He became a quiet, shy man who lived out his life as a Social Worker helping others to salvage their lives and never talked about Vietnam with me or anyone else again. He died of cancer 10 years ago and I never revealed his secret to anyone except here without his true identity. I never judged him as wrong for what he did and was glad to have him for my friend for all those years. RIP my warrior friend, I will never forget you.
It's unfortunate that those officers in charge apparently couldn't accept that some of the Rats just were not cut out for the job. No shame in that. I know my claustrophobia would have made it impossible for me. My best friend from high school took me caving ini W. Va. once. I was ok as long as the caves were large. But when they got smaller and smaller that was it for me. On that same trip we climbed a mountain. Piece of cake for me. But my friend could not do it. never knew he had a fear of heights. There are some things we are born with that no amount of training can surmount. Too bad the Army apparently didn't get that.
@@TheEriekayaker Claustrophobia has very little to do with the fact that you have someone waiting to MURDER you inside the cave. My friend had very little fear of anything before he went into the Army.
Wild wessels are the craziest getting enemy to fire at them is crazy
Tunnel Rats was a brutal job. So was walking point in a hot area. Use to pull night ambushes which were not fun. 5 guys out all night with claymores set up and complete darkness.
Another dangerous job were the recon soldiers with Macvsog. 100% casualty rate .
A recommended book on the subject of Tunnel Rats: "The Tunnels of Cu Chi"
Most dangerous person during that time Lyndon Pain Johnson!!!
Have a friend who was a tunnel rat. Small but tough. Great guy. I am going to call him and thank him once again for his service. Unbelievable what these men or boys did.👍
My Senior Drill Instructor in basic was a tunnel rat for an entire 13 month tour. The moment the subject came you would literally lose all color in his face then walk away putting someone else in charge. That had a profound effect on many of us.
Volunteers as well I heard, Australian special forces had some of the bravest tunnel rats. Respect to all the boys 🇦🇺🇺🇲🇬🇧🇳🇿
13 fucking months. I couldn’t even imagine a fraction of the things he must’ve seen.
Israeli army still deploys them. Ballsy brave Patriots. My respect.
I was incarcerated at a federal prison in Seagoville Tx. They had an automotive program and the instructor was a Marine who had been a tunnel rat in Vietnam. I only found out when I was in his office and I saw a picture of him and some Marines. I ask him what his job was. At first he didn’t won’t to say. I told him I had been in the Army and was in Desert Storm he finally acquiesced and told me he had been a tunnel rat. He wouldn’t go into details so I didn’t push it. The other dudes in the class knew he had been a Marine and served in Vietnam. One day this Mexican kid yell out in the class room “gooks in the bush”. All hell almost broke loose. Luckily the instructor’s boss was in the other office and he heard it to. If he hadn’t grab a hold of the instructor I hate to think what would have happened. They almost kick that kid out of the class. Later I told the kid that the instructor was a tunnel rat in Nam so you only open up a wound. A few weeks later the instructor told me one of his experience going in a tunnel. I told him he was a better man then me. With my stature I would have been tunnel rat material being 5:5.
I was 38yrs old at the time this occurred and had about 8month left to do on my sentence.
Parnell...I wish you well in moving your life forward...all the best brother...
TUNNEL RATS!
Man I don't know where to begin.
Awe, is probably the best start point.
Respect.... goes without saying.
I simply cannot imagine having the courage.
Nor can I even remotely imagine dealing with life after the fact.
Hats of, salute... Among men,
YOU ARE MEN.
And I can only thank you for your bravery and sacrifice.
I learned alot from this video. Thanks.
Your Presentation is top-notch because it does not fail to address any angle.
Thank you, Sir!
IN THE LATE 70s, I LIVED IN JOINT SERVICES BARRACKS IN THE PENTAGON. THE HEAD CLERK IN MY DETACHMENT WAS A PUPPY PUSHER, DOG HANDLER IN THE AIR FORCE. IN NAM, HE WAS A TUNNEL RAT. MY FIRST EXPERIENCE OF SEEING PTSD. WILL WOULD HAVE THESE PERIODIC EPISODES. THANK GOD WE HAD A GUY WHO SEEN COMBAT IN NAM. HE WAS ABLE TO WALK WILL THROUGH A PROCESS TO CALM HIM DOWN.
We didn't go in the tunnels (My recon unit). We pumped tear gas and colored smoke into entrances and just waited for them and/or the smoke to come out. Then we killed them or took them prisoner. No, it's not nice. One of the most dangerous jobs in Nam, one that is always overlooked, is regular "Straight Leg" infantry. Infantry walked point, infantry attacked enemy positions, infantry patrolled all over the country. Infantry defended installations. Infantry was very dangerous and its job varied from place to place.
Respect, bravery beyond description.
I have experienced the cu chi tunnels outside what was once called Saigon, as a tourist in a party of Americans some of which were veterans. Anyone who ventures into those tunnels on an offensive mission has my nuttier and undying respect
My sergeant was a tunnel rat during his second tour.Told me he was scared the entire time underground. He once got unto a long winding tunnel and took several hours to locate some Americans. He said that was more scary then when he was stuck in a tank in Saigon during 68 Tet. Tank in front & directly behind his tank were blown up. Every time they tried to get out of their tank Charlie fired at them. Think he said after what seemed liked several days some Americans freed them.
Those men that "volunteered" to be "Pibbers" were not looking for career enhancement to officer. They were doing a job. I knew a crew member of a patrol boat. It was his assignment and it scared him to death.
fascinating;
10/10
.
Tunnel rats, what brave men they were👍👍👍🏅🏅🏅
Let's hear it for the small guys! RTOs were always the little guys (smaller targets) T rats , same thing, lugging the 60's etc. and don't forget the guys on the Dustoffs!
I love storytelling style of this channel
3 childhood friends whom I grew up with, (Jeremy, Nate, & Kyle) their Dad was a Tunnel Rat. He was a no bullsh*it kinda guy. I wish I could talk to him today. 🐀 💪🇺🇸
My brother was training with a wild weasel team (F4E) when he was killed in 1982...most dangerous jobs is right.
The tunnel rats used the M1911 .45 caliber pistol, or a M1917 revolver. Smith & Wesson M10s in .38 caliber were issued to pilots, though possibly a few may have found their way into tunnel rat hands from time to time. But none of them used 9mm pistols -- the US military didn't even adopt them until 1985, long after the end of the Vietnam era.
You are correct I was issued a 45 911 I had my mom send me a Smith & Wesson 38 in a large pineapple upside down cake. can't beleave it made it to me and every enjoyed the cake it was delicious! True Story
As a Combat Medic in Vietnam we had a life expectancy of 14 days
Semper Fi Devil Dog!
While working for a large communication manufacturer, I had 2 tunnel rats working for me. As an example of what that did to them, one carried a bottle of Malox with him, the other one wasn't as bad, but you could tell he was not 100%. I lived on the ship. (USS Kitty Hawk), and never had to worry about that type of duty. Even if I had been on shore duty, I was too big for those duties. Over six feet and about 175 lbs. I liked it just that way. We got caught in the tail of a typhoon and it was easy to tell who had been on a smaller ships such as a Tin Can. We all just took advantage of the ships motion to rock us to sleep while the new guys had their heads either in the head leaning over a toilet or over the rail. They had to clean up any mess they made as well.
Thank you to all that served!
9mm😄. 1911 was the standard pistol my friend until the Beretta replaced it around 1990. I met a fellow that was a tunnel rat in Vietnam in the late 90s. He was a little guy which they typically were for ease of maneuvering in the tunnels.
My neighbour was a tunnel rat. Outwardly he had readjusted to life. Nicest guy you would ever want to meet. what got him in the end was cancer/agent orange.
Hey that picture of the tunnel rat you have as the thumbnail for this video is of my father. He was with HMH 361 that's his picture from time magazine. I got that photo after my dad died in 2007 from his ex wife however where did you a colorized copy? I would like to find a copy of it for my gear locker at the station.
KEEP EM COMING!!
My Neighbor ,19 years old ,,,,United States Marine Corps,..... Huey ......Door Gunner. , Killed in Action. April -1969.. RIP.... Buddy Allard. Philadelphia , Pa,
Deadliest Job was going 'Across the Fence' behind enemy lines in Laos and Cambodia. To do wiretaps or snatch a prisoner. By far :)
Arguing the most dangerous job in Vietnam is basically an exercise in futility. How about Forward Observers, generally 2 man teams but sometimes just one guy, close enough to eyeball enemy positions and call in fire upon them? And, they ADJUSTED fire so the enemy KNEW those guys were close by!! How about just walking point in a routine Infantry patrol, dealing with ambushes and booby traps? How about LRRP units patrolling deep in enemy territory, 5 man teams surrounded by Divisions of NVA, or crossing invisible borders that had HUGE impacts on receiving help if you got into trouble? And by the way, 90% of "Tunnel Rats" did NOT receive any special training nor weapons, they were just the smallest guys in a Platoon without Claustrophobia. When you see those guys wearing a Tunnel rat patch, there is no such patch, not officially. It's after-war blowhard types that wear them, just like the even worse Vietnam ERA crap! If you weren't in Vietnam, leave that name and those colors off your hats and Tee Shirts!