Buy tunnel rat in vietnam warrior by gordon l rottman isbn. Eightyfive percent rural, the few large cities and towns. Those were the guys who wriggled their way through the ridiculously narrow tunnels the viet cong used to transport personnel and weapons, set boobytraps, and all that. In 1965, soon after the first us combat troops had arrived in vietnam, it was realized that in some areas the viet cong had developed.
The viet cong amassed around 250 kilometres of underground tunnels. Years ago i read a great book about the tunnel rats who served in vietnam. We set up in the bushes about forty yards from a few grass huts where we. Consisting of a number of men formally trained to enter the tunnels, radio operators to communicate with them, a medic and a pair of former viet cong who could act as translators, the team. The cold war had been drifting on for a number of years with the east and west ready to launch a tirade of nuclear warheads at each other. They had an amusing latin motto which i am trying to remember. The vietcong had been using tunnel systems for many years against the chinese, japanese and french invaders. As the tunnel rat emerged through the connecting trap door, a viet cong might be waiting with a knife to slit his throat. The tunnel rats in the vietnam war the military history blog. During the vietnam war, if a us tunnel rat got injured. Tunnel rats were american, australian and new zealand military soldiers who went inside viet cong vc tunnels to kill any vc inside. A turning point presentation to introduce the cu chi tunnel rats of vietnam.
Jun 20, 2015 men who hid in tunnels during wars viet nam. In a documentary for the film, boll revealed the film did not have a. For them, thats what they do and only they will do it, normal infantry within australian rank would not go into tunnel system, and they are the only unit tagged with tunnel rat acronym. They came to be known simply as tunnel rats with the unofficial motto non gratum anus rodentum not worth a rat s ass. Vietnam war patch us 1st cavalry division tunnel rat team. Whilst thankfully it had not yet turned hot, there were certainly sparks flying around the world. They were infantrymen who volunteered to go down the tunnels of south vi. One of these was master sgt flo rivera who acquired and used a 9mm german luger. We were trained at the australian armys school of military engineering, located 20. Rottman, served in vietnam with the 1st cavalry division in the late1960s, and witnessed some of what tunnel rats did personally. Its a great, detailed reference for all us army units there are sections on the usmc and allied units, too, down to battalion level. Some have said that this is all a bit elitist, but the vietnam tunnel rats association is simply an.
Gordon l rottman entered the us army in 1967, volunteered for special forces and completed training as a weapons specialist. Towards the end of the year, the army began to train off leash dogs, at fort benning. They did underground search and destroy missions to gather any intel, recover arms and finally. The largest tunnel systems in south vietnam some under us bases could be as vast as 200 kilometers 125 miles long and were built to. The tunnel rats were some of the most courageous men, that dared to enter into the rat tunnels. What was the mortality rate of the vietnam era tunnel rats. This title will be based on the personal accounts of those who served in this unique role and will describe the specialist training and equipment, not to mention the.
During the vietnam war tunnel rat became a more or less official specialty for volunteer infantrymen, primarily from australia, new zealand, and the united states. Pete rejoruiz, a cubanborn tunnel rat, is shown popping out of a north vietnamese tunnel. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Since the 1940s, during the war against the french colonial forces, the viet cong had created an extensive underground system of. Vietnams littleknown underground war and the men and women who fought it. Tunnel rats were us and allied troops who went into tunnels seeking out the enemy during the vietnam war. Tunnel rats as a unit is indeed exist for australian force in vietnam, they are the men of 3 troop, 1st field sqn, royal australian engineer. In 1965, soon after the first us combat troops had arrived in vietnam, it was realized that in some areas the viet cong had developed vast tunnel complexes in which to hide from the enemy. In his book, rick gives the reader insight into what it was like for a young soldier who suddenly finds himself on the front line in the vietnam war. This is the same patch that is supplied to the military and sold in military base exchanges.
The tunnel rats were typically equipped with just a pistol, knife and flashlight due to the confined spaces they had to enter. For the most part, the job of tunnel rat was a catchall name for the work that we did as combat engineers. Jimmy thomson is a journalist, author and screenwriter. Army combat and support forces in vietnam 19611973 book. There are two more videos tunnel rats 2, vietnam and tunnel rats 3, vietnam. To a man, volunteers only volunteers were permitted to join tunnel rat units they would enter the tunnels network systems of the viet cong armed with nothing more than a pistol and a knife.
Other tunnel rats procured their own personal firearms to suit their own needs. Though americans, australians, and new zealanders claim to know these hideouts existed. The story of a marine grunt in the first battle of khe sanh april 1967 duration. During the vietnam war, tunnel rat became an unofficial. Sneaking around south vietnam in the pitch darkness, looking for someone to kill, while trying to avoid being one seen first, and killed, is the scariest thing i did. This patch would be a great gift idea and a wonderful addition to your patch collection. Their motto was the tongueincheek latin phrase non gratus anus rodentum not worth a rat s arse in the early stages of the war against the french colonial forces, the viet minh created an. A harrowing account of americas tunnel rats in the underground battlefields of vietnam. Their motto was the latin phrase nongradus rodentumnot worth a rat. Chris masters, a great tv journalist, did this story for page 1 channel 10 more than 20 years ago in 1988.
The film is based on the factual duties of tunnel rats during the vietnam war. Sapper jim marett outside the ruins of a rubber plantation mansion in vietnam in 1970. He is the author of snitch, watto and wendell sailor. How our sappers in afghanistan took the fight to the insurgents using the lessons learned from vietnam by jimmy thomson sandy macgregorbuy.
During the vietnam war, tunnel rat became an unofficial specialty for volunteer combat engineers and infantrymen from australia and the united states who cleared and destroyed enemy tunnel complexes. Officers and crewserved weapons crews often carried them. Many of the people in this book trained me or i had the privilege of working beside in australia but did not realise at the time how much of a debt i owed them for what they did to make safe so many who served in vietnam. The vietnam war provides the vital clue to a brutal murder in this powerful thriller of buried secrets and retribution. Tunnel rats vs the taliban, jimmy thomson sandy macgregor. Click here to see a list of casualties from 1 field squadron rae and 3 field troop rae in vietnam. First of all, those ops were certainly not off the book. Another short osprey book that i read quickly for a section of my dissertation.
For almost every american soldier who carried one in vietnam, the pistol represented a backup weapon. Crossing the line, and cowrote tunnel rats and a sappers war with sandy macgregor. Im very fortunate enough to have visited a section of the tunnels in cu chi, even crawled through one, so having that as a base i imagine really helped me fully understand the extent of. Most of us who served as tunnel rats during the vietnam war quickly realized that crawling through underground enemy bunkers would be the. Later, similar teams were used by the soviet army during the sovietafghan war and by the israel defense forces in campaigns in the middle east. Tunnel rats, also known as 1968 tunnel rats, is a 2008 germancanadian war suspense film written and directed by uwe boll. The vietcong used elaborate tunnel systems to store food and ammunition as well as housing medical and combat facilities. It was long known that such complexes existed, but it was not realized just how extensive they were in some areas, how important they were to the viet cong, and how difficult it was to detect and neutralize. But not the tunnel rats, americas subterranean warriors that would head underground in the jungles of vietnam. Small villages dot this land, worked by peasants, who have lived there for centuries. Buy the tunnel rats coronet books new ed by stephen leather isbn.
The pistols that were carried by the tunnel rats were varied, the. Our tunnel rat vietnam patch is a full color, embroidered military patch. The training of tunnel rats is also covered from basic training boot camp, advance individual training as infantrymen or engineers, followed by tunnel warfare selection and training in demolitions, boobytrap awareness, chemical employment, countermine warfare and tunnel exploitation. Tunnel rats ofvietnam vietnams littleknown underground war and the men and women who fought it sgt. The tunnel rats were american, south vietnamese, new zealand, and australian soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the vietnam war. While tracking down specific statistics on fatality rates among the tunnel rats is not easy, it is not a stretch to venture that. Real vietnam footage set to the music of ccr run through the jungle. There were numerous underground guerilla bases in south vietnam that had been built and supplied by forced labor from the surrounding villages.
The tunnel rats goodreads meet your next favorite book. Military assistance command, vietnam macv had recognized that the need still existed for a lownoise weapon for what were now officially called the tunnel exploration personnel in the republic of vietnam. Opinion my life as a tunnel rat the new york times. Rats tunnel in the war of vietnam learning history. During the vietnam war our government never anticipated that tunnel warfare would. The tunnel systems could often be huge, and would be filled with all kinds of tricks and traps, not to mention people trying to kill you. Tunnel rats vs the taliban jimmy thomson and sandy.
Special us soldiers called tunnel rats would crawl through the systems to find the enemy. This network connected villages, cities, and districts. Most of us who served as tunnel rats during the vietnam war quickly realized that crawling through underground enemy bunkers would be the least of our worries. Over 95% of these men were in the field troops, and thus tunnel rats. The tunnels also hosted armament workshops, training depots, headquarters, and a variety of other facilities. See more ideas about vietnam war, vietnam and vietnam war photos.
Is there anyone out there who knows the correct latin phrase. The vietnam tunnel rats association has reserved the australian war memorial last post ceremony for 18 february next year. The tunnel rats were not spies or saboteur sent to north vietnam or neutral cambodia. Loosely translated, it was supposed to mean not worth a rats ass.
He served in the 5th special forces group in vietnam in 196970 and subsequently in airborne infantry, longrange patrol and intelligence assignments until retiring after 26 years. If you are going to do a lot of vietnam war reading, i also recommend shelby stantons vietnam order of battle. The tunnel rats of the 1 st infantry division, the only one with any kind of formal training, was especially successful. As a young captain sandy macgregor, a graduate of the royal military college, duntroon, commanded the original tunnel rats of 3 field troop in vietnam and was awarded the military cross. The life of the tunnel rat was not to be envied, unless you are the most committed of adrenaline junkies and have a death wish.
Dedicated to the men of 3 fld troop and 1troop, 2troop and 3troop 1 fld sqn rae, the aussie tunnel rats. How our sappers in afghanistan took the fight to the insurgents using the lessons learned from vietnam, 2015. The army deployed ten tracker teams to nam and added a final one late in 1969. Here is another good book by osprey publishing, tunnel rat in vietnam. They helped conduct military operations on behalf of communist forces. Most of the tunnel rats were from the 25th infantry division and 3 field troop.
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