My uncle was a tunnel rat and he sadly sufferers terribly from PTSD. He is currently is living in a VA facility, but before then he accumulated a large collection of knives, his main weapon of choice in the tunnels. He is one of the sweetest people I know and I am so thankful to have him be apart of my family.
@@ShadeRaven222 I mean I’m not surprised lol. If you’re a soldier trained as a tunnel rat you better be tougher than nail and leather! Most tunnel rats were smaller men. I’m talking normally 5”5 and under. If you’re a small man doing tunnel warfare you have to be a badass to survive and fight In extreme close quarters combat like That
My grandfather was a tunnel rat , and a demolition engineer in Vietnam, he has a picture of a giant python he had to kill when he ran into a nest in the tunnel with no light, in the picture the snake is laid out on a tank and is almost as long as the tank itself , really crazy and unimaginable what these brave men must have endured
He Vietnamese or American. Either way we thank you’re grandfather for their service no matter on what side. My grandfather was also a veteran but in world war 2.
My grandmothers first husband and my aunt’s father was a long range reconnaissance fighter, he signed up and recruited to serve instead of many that where protesting and trying to get out of serving that got drafted anyways. He and his team of six were moving through the jungle and his friend got shot so he strayed from his team to move his friend ( so his friend could die in peace) and he rejoined with his team because they were gonna get evaluated, and he was leading them and he stepped onto a land mine and he knew he would die. He left behind a wife and a child that would never know him.
I'm a filmmaker currently doing a documentary on Australia's Combat Engineers aka The Tunnel Rats. Some of the stories I've heard and filmed are nothing short of incredible. Over the weekend just gone I interviewed one tunnel rat named George (I'll withhold his last name for now) who was down a tunnel, and they knew it was a "Hot Hole" as they called it because there was a lack of spiders webs. A lot of spiders webs would indicate a "Cold Hole" as they called them. Several metres underground they found a "Letter box" in the wall. Usually a metal tin stuck in a hole in the tunnel wall couriers would drop intel or messages in and would disappear back to another tunnel. As they were trying to get it out of the wall, George was passing his torch to his fellow engineer and it shined on a figure pointing a pistol at them only a few feet away. In the blink of an eye he pulled out his Browning 9mm and fired a shot. The sound almost blew out his eardrums and the smoke in such a small space made it impossible to see anything in front of him so he fired 7 more shots in case there was anyone else behind him. When the smoke cleared and they dragged the VC body out it was a kid about 12 years old who was holding a captured American M1911 .45 however whoever gave it to this kid didn't teach him how to maintain it as the hammer and safety catch were both completely rusted to the body. So the kid was trying to shoot them but couldn't get the gun to fire. George still holds a lot of regret about that day, and has told me in a fascinating interview. Keep a lookout for a documentary called "Holdfast: One Small Step". It's going to be my first feature documentary and it's going to expose a side of the war no one's ever heard before.
My uncle was a tunnel rat. He's still horrified by the things he has done. He had severe PSTD. Now, he has an ongoing battle with cancer because of agent orange.
An he’s a murderer went to poor nations to kill people who barely have shoes an let the wyte supremacist tell him a illogical reason there was no logical reason for you to go to Vietnam an kill poor people
I help out a veteran Coast Guard PT boat gunner that I befriended. he told me, "The rivers were filled with the chemicals we dropped, then we would boil the water in lead tanks for drinking. We had no idea what was happening." He has had multiple cancer diagnoses and has to uses an oxygen tank. He has 5 kids that are in their late 20s and 30s, I remember when I was 13 and he told me the only thing he wanted was to see his youngest daughter finish nursing school. Damn guy is to stubborn to die and I love him
after reading this i pictured a man looking the grim reaper dead in the face saying “‘she hasn’t finished nursing school.” and the reaper saying “alright sir just call me when you’re ready” lol. hope he’s doing well!
@LoveTheLordofAllWorldsRunner sounds like a tough gig for sure. But I think the tunnel rats have the bigger reputation. Crawling down a hole in the ground filled with dangerous things goes against every human instict. They were legends.
@@hairyballs089 you're disrespectful and incorrect. If you sent your worst person down the tunnels and they were killed or injured then you spend the whole day trying to recover them. Most of the tunnel rats were elite
@LoveTheLordofAllWorlds yes runner is a dangerous job as well. I did read that Hitler was a runner and won some medals for bravery. Shame he wasn't killed in WW1. Absolutely, the tiny tunnels were built for small, thin people. Going into the tunnels hits most of humans' main phobias: claustrophobia, being buried alive, snakes, spiders, the dark, and humans with weapons trying to kill you. Huge respect to all the veterans.
I've heard some absolutely batshit insane stories from former LRRPs. The missions they got sent on were nothing short of ludicrous. Absolute badasses. You should still be able to find documentaries about them on youtube.
@@JeromeandTyrone no, MACV-SOG, they were part of army SF, they did classified missions across the borders into Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam, it was often 6 MACV-SOG operators inserting into areas with thousands of NVA to conduct multiple types of operations, they were basically lrrps but on steroids
"The regular troops would almost shy off the path when they passed the Lurp's quarters. No matted how toughened up they became, they still looked innocent compared to the Lurps". - Dispatches by Herr.
@@cloutmastermemes2007 the war correspondent Michael Herr who wrote that quote is saying the regular troops were intimidated by the Lurps. They were the toughest, they saw the most action, they 'interrogated' prisoners in their quarters. They were scary dudes basically, according to Michael Herr. Same reason you might shy away from a biker gang or any other group of scary dudes.
I'm so thankful my dad was not able to fight in Vietnam. He enlisted in spring of 1968, right after graduating high school, but found out that he has atrial fibrillation. While the condition hasn't really affected his life as a civilian, I can see why it could be a serious problem in war.
@@ghillieninja4596 you ever see The Deer Hunter? Really good war movie from the 70s based on Vietnam. Had a POW Russian roulette scene which I believe is what inspired the scene in Black Ops.
Swift got killed because he let his guard down for one second, that just goes to show how sharp you had to be while being in them tunnels, you couldn’t pay me to go in those tunnels, not even for 30 seconds
I had a neighbor that was a medic during Tet. He told me that when it kicked off, they didn't realize what was going on because it felt like any other day. He was also in the field with the infantry. I had another neighbor that was a pencil pusher in the green zone during Tet. That was the only time he had to fight during the war and he cannot touch a gun because it was so traumatic for him. I also met a guy that was exposed to Agent orange and his life is a mess because of it.
Agent Orange was terrible. My grandpa ultimately died from it after 1 liver transplant while waiting for a 2nd donor (after fighting for years for his benefits). RIP Walter Velez
"I knew one 4th division Lurp who took his pills by the fistfull, downs fom the left pocket and ups from the right, one to cut the trail for him and the other to send him down it" - Dispatches by Herr.
My dad was in Nam. Every night around 9 PM the lights would suddenly go dim at his artillery battery position. The VC had tapped into the generators and were turning on the lights in the their tunnel system every night. Once the tunnel was discovered they found everything from a hospital to livestock pens.
My grandfather served as an MP during Vietnam, he was put on convoy guard duty all the time. Only thing that saved them was the gun trucks and V100 armored cars
Larry Hama is one of the founding creators of the original G.I.JOE A Real American Hero comics, he is also a Japanese-American Vietnam veteran. In 1987, Hasbro the toy company that owns GIJOE honored Hama by creating a character based on his likeness, his character is the G.I.Joe team's EOD/infiltration soldier, Tunnel Rat.
My grandmother told me a story about my great grandfather who is a team leader of the tunnel diggers, his tunnels saved many villagers and included my grandmother but when the Tunnel Rats coming in his tunnels, he shouts "Chuột!" means "Rats" in Vietnamese so then he saved some of his comrades (Others died trying to protect) and the villagers are taking shelter after a small fight before the Tunnel Rats exploded the tunnels
@@903strikerunit Hah rare thing to see right? But still i just proud of our country to grow something better and peaceful than holding hatred past, we always remember our histories, always forgive our enemies and move on to build our future better
Its always interesting see and hear on from other side what is the meaning all of. Anyway i wish best to you over there. Sorry (though i can't apology honestly over it) that this turned out to be more political reasons for the war than any other... when i did check what was the reasons for the start of the war by USA.
I've known tunnel rats and I've known reconnaissance rangers my great-uncle was a reconnaissance ranger that had died over in Vietnam or I should say Southeast Asia these soldiers need not to be forgotten for what they did was something quite extraordinary in too many of them had treated like scum because of a few and the leadership that they had
My Uncle Ronnie served in Vietnam after lying about his age. He served as a tunnel rat for 2 tours. Ended up being sent home after he was the only guy to survive a truck explosion thankfully with only a piece of shrapnel in his leg to remember it by. He doesn't really talk about it past that.
My dad was a LRRP and he suffered problems from Agent Orange. Both my uncles served one in the Corp one in the Navy. RIP to my uncles. There was not a man who served who saw combat and was ever the same again. They sacrificed more than we would ever know. May GOD bless them!
I’m so sorry to all the soldiers and civilians caught up in this war on both sides. Agent Orange and Napalm should never have been used. I’m really sorry to all American troops who were forced to fight, not because they wanted to but because their country asked them. Thank you for your service. And to the Vietnamese soldiers and civilians caught up in this war just trying to defend their life style from the American government who didn’t care about keeping the Vietnamese civilians safe but just cared about stopping communism.
An he’s a murderer went to poor nations to kill people who barely have shoes an let the wyte supremacist tell him a illogical reason there was no logical reason for you to go to Vietnam an kill poor people
The US only went into Vietnam to defend South Vietnam. It was the North Vietnamese who attacked South Vietnam. The US military were invited guests of South Vietnam. No need to apologize.
@@mikesiciliano210 an who gave people in jungles all these sophisticated technology like tanks an guns they cant invade a country without those so where is an who supplied those for them to start there invasion to fight an attack each other answer the question sir
My Grandad was in the Navy on the USS Brush, and at one point, Vietnamese parents sent their children to soldiers with bombs and other explosives. He was instructed to be a part of the firing squad that executed them, since there was no safe way to defuse the explosives. I believe this was one of the events of the war that developed PTSD for him, and I don’t blame him, since it was such a dangerous job and a traumatizing experience for him.
It’s traumatizing to imagine things that soldiers on both sides had to face with. There is a novel called “War Sadness” by Bao Ninh, tells about a former NVA soldier who has to face with post-war mental problems. The war ended 50 years ago, people are now welcome and forgive the things that American caused to our country.
Vietnam truly was horrible the soliders had ptsd and lifealtering injuries afterwards, not only that but also agent orange which destroyed soliders lungs and hurt plants, truly horrible
@@sovietfederation9738 and the media same with iraq, then they paint anyone against the war as soviets. they pretend to be them on social media with silly usernames a real soviet would never use.
I will never forget my neighbor's stories of being a tunnel rat. Growing up he taught me military techniques and ham radio operations from his wheel chair. Lost his legs over there. Wonder if he is still with us. I should try to find him.
black & latino servicemen were overwhelmingly selected for tunnel work. the pentagon did not deny the aggregate truth, they also didn't bother explaining to the press or public why that was the case.
It is understandable that the work of a tunnel rat, or someone who spends long periods of time underground, can be challenging and demanding. Working in confined or underground spaces can be physically and mentally demanding, and it is important to be prepared and equipped to handle the challenges that may arise. If you are concerned about your ability to handle the demands of a particular job or activity, it is important to consider your own limitations and to seek guidance and support as needed. It is always important to prioritize your own physical and mental well-being, and to seek help if you are experiencing stress or other difficulties.
@@LIONTAMER3D that's incorrect. Most tunnel rats were short and thin. They were mostly white, and also a lot of Hispanics. Hispanics were overrepresented as tunnel rats, blacks were underrepresented. Often the tunnel rats were volunteers and received an extra $5/month hazard pay. Source: Mangold and Penycate, The Tunnels of Cu Chi
It wasn't the Americans that first discovered the tunnels that's absolute crap!! The Australians were the true Tunnel Rats of the Vietnam war and were the first to discover them. The US brass refused to accept the massive tunnels at Cu Chi the Australians had discovered and started mapping even existed. My Father was one of these men. 3 Field Troop of the Royal Australian Engineers were the men who fought in and mapped these tunnels and discovered their true size, of 40km of tunnels holding over 3000 men with field hospitals and ammo storages. There is a book written about these men It's called "No Need For Hero's" written by Sandy MacGregor, the commander of the unit. Great book about real hero's!! No one used a torch that was plain suicide!! It was darkness and a rope tied to your legs to pull you out. They did have torches but only used if they were contacted even then it was stupid as they knew where you were. The book shows how it was all done with drawings of the booby traps and ambush points they had!! 1RAR and the Combat Engineers attached from 3 Field Troop were the one who did this. Sick to death of Americans saying they were the ones who did everything.
It's the American's *perspective* . Pretty much every war in history will be told differently by each side. Take something like World War 2 for example, if you just learned about it from the Japanese or German perspectives it would probably seem like a completely different conflict.
Lol nope it's a chemical used to kill plants. That's why so many soldiers were exposed and had issue with it. They just sprayed it and stored it like it was harmless it most certainly was not harmless.
@@PNJB_R not... exactly. They were divided and then guided to kill each other for the political ideals of two superpowers, it's actually similar to what happened to all of Arabia.
my mom was born a year after the war 😢 the whole Vietnam was poor my mom moved to Sweden to have a better life i hope you guys had a great life unlike my mom ty
The thing about the tunnel rats is that they were mostly comprised of ethnic minorities. Americans are very tall compared to Vietnamese, and a lot of the American soldiers couldn't fit in the tunnels. Luckily for the Americans, they had an ethnic group that was short enough to infiltrate the tunnels. Most of the tunnel rats were of Puerto Rican and European descent. As a Puerto Rican myself, I honor the bravery and sacrifice of my people. I hope that one day, the rest of the mainland recognizes us as not just their backdoor playground, but as something bigger than that.
11:53 Play! You can't kill me!!!!! You shoot G.I You shoot! I really like those references to Black Ops and many more things you make in your Videos keep it up 👌
no, friend lich Viet Cong didn't play that game, that's not true it was the filmmakers who put this fake detail, it's a metaphor for surviving the war like a game of luck
Of course agent orange is deadly... My Great uncle died of Leukemia from AO exposure... It's also why he didn't get his benefits or medals (his CO even fought even after death to get him the MOH). If they were to give him the benefits and medals they'd have to admit Agent Orange exposure on their own soldiers...which just in his case wud mean a lot of money...
I haven't seen anyone talk about bulldozer drivers but my grandfather was one and every other Vietnam that I have talked to said that he had the most dangerous job being where he was he was the front most dozer operator on highway 1 and told me about everyday he was taking incoming fire while trying to do his job just like a big Target in the middle of the jungle on that piece of heavy equipment he got a purple heart when he ran over I land mine and the dozer rolled over on top of him pinning him to the ground for 2 hours and putting shrapnel in his skull
I'm glad this Is a new video with new information. I thought at first it was just another compilation of old videos stitched together. I've been seeing / skipping a lot of those uploads lately.
My uncle ran reconnaissance in Vietnam. His job was to intercept, translate, and decrypt radio communication between the VC and NVA by flying overhead to pick up signals. His Vietnamese was perfect despite being a redneck from Arkansas, which must have been a shock to my dad's side of family, who were refugees from South Vietnam.
Hey simple history, I love your videos by chance could you make more videos on war on the pacific (ww2) i really enjoy your videos and if you read this, keep up the good work 👍
Alex Mason:"Rat tunnel up ahead. " Frank Woods:"I see it." VC Bookie:"Bac-bac-bac!" Frank Woods:YOU CAN'T KILL ME!!!" VC Bookie:"You shoot GI! You shoot!"
'In war, there are no unwounded soldiers' 💔. WW1 and Vietnam were so different, it's hard to compare them fairly. In Vietnam they didn't know who their enemy was, such a high % of deaths were accidentally killing women and children. It looks like it was very challenging to say the least.
I'm curious. The only .45 I know of issued in Viet Nam was the 1911 .45 ACP, yet every illustration you used in the tunnel rat section was of a revolver.
Tunnel rats were usually issued a .45 ACP M1917 revolver or an M1911A1 pistol, but there some cases where .38 caliber revolvers and High Standard .22 pistols equipped with a suppressor were used instead.
Smith and Wesson even modified a special revolver--.38 caliber and put a silencer on it...because the TRs quickly found that the .45 had a loud BANG which echoed throughout the enclosed spaces almost deafening them.
@@rasmusjensen588 no my friend you’re mistaken. The guy I know didn’t want to be a tunnel rat at all. He didn’t want to be in the war, he was drafted. He’s a victim too
My grandfather was a demolitions expert in the 1st infantry div. for 2 years, and sadly he is wheelchair bound because of agent orange because of it damaging his bones (he also got nerve damage, prostate cancer, and damage to his respiratory system)
Remember to Thank the Vietnam Vet. Also please inform them of the New Policy for Agent Orange Exposure. This is help Veterans get the help they need. I encourage you to help our veterans in informing them.
From what I read, the tunnel rats did actually have .38 surpressed revolvers. By their accounts, the revolvers weren't actually quiet, but the surpressors kept their ear drums from getting blown out in tunnels. Though the revolver in the video kinda looks like a Nagant revolver for some reason.
Being a soldier can involve facing many challenges and dangers, as soldiers may be called upon to serve in a variety of situations and environments. Military service can be physically and mentally demanding, and soldiers may be required to perform tasks that involve physical exertion, exposure to extreme conditions, or exposure to violence or danger. It is important to recognize the sacrifices and dedication of soldiers, and to provide support and resources to help them cope with the challenges they may face. If you are a soldier or have loved ones who are serving in the military, it is important to be aware of the resources and support that are available to help you cope with the demands of military service.
“The velvet darkness is all-engulfing; the adrenaline rush subsides as it becomes harder to catch your breath. You become lightheaded, then dizzy and confused as the air runs out. Reason and sense evaporate as the darkness claims you. That’s how it felt to be a Tunnel Rat." Australian Captain Sandy MacGregor, MC.