It's an exclusive offer for our viewers! This is similar to the selection effect of underwriting requirement provision in the insurance industries. He would also earn two Bronze Stars, a Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and five Purple Hearts during his two tours in the Nam. Because of this, they often targeted their legs instead. We offer our condolences to his family and to his friends. Got the VC screaming "we said no Oddjob! In a 1977 interview with the Associated Press, a Vietcong survivor recalled how the Americans wasted so much time pulling their dead back that it gave them time to re-group and prepare accordingly. If it did not force the enemy out, those inside the tunnels often suffocated to death instead. [But] They were the ones you never killed. The army sent in tunnel rat soldiers with the aim of locating the enemy, finding their resources, and cutting off their supplies. To avoid running into issues, tunnel rats remained very cautious of the number of shots they fired. By April 1968, Flaherty was a paratrooper and a platoon leader with the 101st Airborne Division. While many draft-age males of that era sought ways to avoid being among the 385,000 troops sent to the beleaguered Southeast Asian nation that year, Flaherty was working the angles to find a way in. Richard James Flaherty (November 28, 1945 May 9, 2015) was a captain in the United States Army who served in the Vietnam War.Due to his small stature (he was just 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 m) tall), he was known as "The Giant Killer". However, other than being underground, they were actually very different from the real Viet Cong tunnels. The openings to these tunnels were very small and those tunnel rats who went into them did so armed only with a flashlight, a K-bar (knife), and a .45 pistol. Anness, who died in 2005, was the daughter of an Army captain, and traveled the world with her military family before settling in Miami, where she earned an MBA at the University of Miami and worked as a consultant. Larry Burrows / Getty Images. We had built the runway surface with 2 ft by 12 ft Marston Mat aluminum planks with interlocking grooves along each edge. The War also claimed the lives of approximately 200,000 allied soldiers in Vietnam, nearly one million North Vietnamese/ Communist allied deaths, and an incomprehensible number of civilians. Copyright 2023 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. Many American men were trying to avoid serving the U.S. military in the 1960s and 1970s. He deployed for the first time in 1968 as part of the 101st Airborne Division, acting as a platoon and reconnaissance platoon leader with companies B, C, D and E. While making parachute jumps, Flaherty would be the first to leap, so his men could see where the wind took him and ensure he didnt get carried somewhere alone because of his light weight. . An example of a classic punji booby trap. Retired, David enjoys writing, walking on hikes, and spending time with his dog Simon. This also allowed soldiers to help find and collect any wounded or dead comrades. This would-be Captain America was just 49, three inches too short for Army service. Another method frequently used attempted to flood the area so badly that the enemy desperately sought to escape to avoid drowning. If the army located an entrance and needed it explored, the team lowered a tunnel rat into the area to scout out the surroundings. 4' 9" 97lbs Vietnam Vet Green Beret Captain Richard J. Flaherty - 101st Airborne & 3rd Special Forces Group Vietnam 1967-1971. Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas) represents Texas' 3rd congressional . There are some interviews with the men that served under him and they talk about him ordering soldiers to kill civilians and surrendered VC. He had been the victim of a hit-and-run car accident. As mentioned previously, tunnel rat soldiers were a last-ditch attempt and not the usual go-to solution. All rights reserved. After his tour in Vietnam, he returned to the U.S. and attended the Special Forces Officer Course at Fort Bragg. the shortest have one line. The life expectancy of a radio operator in the Vietnam War ranged between five to six seconds all the way up to a slightly-more-optimistic thirty seconds, depending on your source. He fought and distinquished himself in Vietnam. Finding out about him and what he had done since graduating from high school has put me through a roller coaster of emotions. Pararescue. The Vietnam War was the longest military battle in the history of the United States. According to archives held by the US government, there were 58,220 US military deaths overall as a result of the Vietnam War. Here are some of the most powerful pictures taken by Larry Burrows during his coverage of the Vietnam War. By 1990, the US Army veterans was homeless and living in Aventura, Florida. One tunnel rat claimed that the booby traps and Viet Cong did not frighten them as much as encountering the local ants. He was 69 . A Soldier's Thoughts. They belong to us. You have permission to edit this article. limit, but he could do nothing about the height part. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. One battalion also found an underground complex that covered 2,000 meters and yielded cameras, films, printing presses, and type, in addition to the usual cache of weapons and ammunition. Shockingly, a US soldier even uncovered a missing M-48 tank buried six feet deep; the Viet Cong were using it as a command center. Maybe its because, as a high school student, I knew him, if only from a distance. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. October 2001 to 2016. Eugene Debruin: civilian with Air America captured 5 Sep 63 in Laos when C-46 was shot down, A heavier tunnel-exploration kit may also include nylon rope, body-armor vests, grappling hooks, work gloves, kneepads, and earplugs. Richards future, therefore, was sealed before he took his first breath. A few years later, we started talking. In his new life as a civilian, Flaherty studied at the University of Miami in Florida, but entered a period of despondency after a girlfriend died in a car wreck in 1975. After Vietnam, he did contract work for the CIA all over the world. Wounded Marine Gunnery Sgt. pearl harbor. He began to eat and stay in fighting shape, as he was an avid sportsman in high school, especially good at martial arts. 22. Owned and operated by CharityUSA.com, LLC. On one side towered a 7ft 3in (2.21m) German man-mountain who quit his job with an American freak show to join the Wehrmacht. But Flaherty spotted the bunker, rallied his soldiers and led a charge under heavy fire that cleared the area of enemy troops. As a Green Beret, he served from 1969-71, before being honorably discharged. After one tour in Vietnam, Capt. In fact, on one occasion he was able to save several of his men who had been trapped by heavy enemy fire. After completing basic training, Richard Flaherty qualified for Infantry Officer Candidate School, earning the rank of second lieutenant. David Yuzuk's police radio blared from his shoulder as he leaned against his patrol car outside Boston Market in Aventura. Lance Corporal Robert A. Bishop explores a Viet Cong tunnel complex found by Leathernecks of the 2d Battalion, 26th Marines. Of course, the local Vietnamese population designed the tunnels with their own size in mind. Source of data: the Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File, as of April 29, 2008, of the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) Files, part of Record Group 330: Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. M. He had a few run-ins with the law before becoming a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Photo credit: The New York Times. Yuzuk came to know Richard Flaherty, not just as a homeless man, but as a man of intelligence and goodness. Upon graduation, he was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group and assigned to the 46th Special Forces Company in Thailand. Once the Viet Cong caught on to what was happening, they began to use the same soap the Americans used. In hindsight, listening to the Viet Cong talk about their experiences in these tunnels, it appears more training certainly would have benefitted the American cause. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Press J to jump to the feed. Start your free trial today. Talking of booby traps, Lt. Jack Flowers recalls how the Viet Cong used tripwires to release boxes of scorpions into the tiny confines of the tunnels. Communications, public relations, and marketing professional, and content creator during free time. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, MIGHTY NETWORKS, 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Mandalorian recap before Season 3: Everything you need to know, serving the U.S. military in the 1960s and 1970s, He returned to the U.S. that same year to attend the Army Special warfare School. In the 1940s Ho Chi Minh, one of the founders of the Viet Cong, stated You can kill ten of my men for every one I kill of yours. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. is the nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 1980 to fund and build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. . Flaherty served with the 101st Airborne & the 3rd Special Forces Group. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. Tools of the trade metal tin sign. He was an American hero of great stature. The idea, of course, was to scare the men so much that they did not continue to search the rest of the tunnel. Some tunnel rats were also fortunate enough to take part in Combat Engineer Advanced Individual Training. Vietnam War. Johns Hopkins University. If the stakes pointed downwards, soldiers became unable to remove their limbs without causing severe damage. [1], Flaherty was born on 28 November 1945 in Stamford, Connecticut. Tragically, he was killed in a hit and run during the early hours of May 9, 2015. Bob Roberts, who was photographed when Jakob Nacken was captured, has been awarded France's highest military honour, the Legion d'Honneur, by the French . ~15 years. According to federal law, the United States' military involvement in the Vietnam War began in February 1961 and lasted until May 1975. He worked for a while as a confidential informant for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the 80s but he was homeless in Aventura, just north of Miami, by 1990. Overall, the Vietnamese were very quick to restore damages and continue as if nothing happened. He was successful and joined the US Army. Soldier in Vietnam War was the Army's Badass Combatant . The two began meeting more frequently, and Yuzuk became so fascinated with Flahertys story that he asked permission to tell it in the form of a documentary. In 1966, the Army issued six tunnel-exploration tester kits. Richard Flaherty had to get a waiver to join the Army during the Vietnam War. Weve got a clip from the movie that details Richards ruthlessness in combat. Although the driver fled the scene, they were eventually caught. Using this tactic, they added yellow dye to the water to enable aerial observers to spot any entrances that ground troops had missed. March 28, 2022 Local Vietnam veterans showcase . But first he had to fight simply to get into the Army. On the other stood a 5ft 7in (170 . Another particularly horrific tactic became known as the spike ball or the mace. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism Photo credit: Funker360. Flaherty is buried in an unmarked grave in Milton, West Virginia. But due to the Vietnam draft they would have likely taken him anyway if that was his only disqualifier from serving. But he may have left me with more mysteries than Ill ever be able to solve.. When triggering a tripwire, a plank weighted with barbed metal spikes and bricks would fall rapidly from the earth squashing the soldier below. [1] A friend of his from high school told me he had fond memories of watching Richard breaking boards with his hands when he walked past the Flahertys garage. The Tropic Lightning Tunnel Rat School at Cu Chi base camp provides an example of this. In riveting rifle, rucksack style author, David Yuzuk takes you deep into the jungles of Vietnam to walk in the combat boots of America's smallest soldier, Richard Flaherty. Photo credit: Rare Historical Photos websites. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. His height was no object, however, and he put together an impressive record, with the honors to match. They helped conduct military operations on behalf of communist forces. A twenty-two year old U.S. Army Lieutenant finds himself in the fight of his life on his birthday. Captain Flaherty is the shortest man to have served in the Army's Special Forces Regiment. Be Nice. Infantry Advanced Individual Training also helped them to deal more in-depth with other issues. Unless medical issues had something to do with it. Flaherty was given a Silver Star for his actions in combat during the Tet Offensive, when his unit was ambushed with machine guns and grenades by Northern Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops in a hidden bunker. In 1980, recognizing the cruelty of such devices, the Geneva Convention banned them as weaponry. Nguyen Van Vuong started as a soldier in the North Vietnamese Army in 1966 and ended his service in 1971 after contracting malaria. However, he was eventually arrested for possession of gun silencers and removed from the agency. Grenade traps were another form of booby trap placed along the base of tunnels. Richard James Flaherty was born on November 28, 1945. Flaherty left the Army in 1971 and attended the University of Miami in Florida. Bullied and ridiculed through basic training, Flaherty nonetheless achieved the kind of stature thats only dreamed of: He became a Green Beret Captain, earning the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts for his actions in Vietnam. When it comes to headgear, some soldiers wore a helmet or a visored cap along with a microphone and/ or transistor radio attached. He was a Special Forces Green Beret Captain and was awarded the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, and 2 Purple Hearts for his actions in Vietnam. Sometimes these snakes were even poisonous and so became known as three-step snakes because a soldier was only granted three more steps before the venom killed him. The United States conducted two major campaigns to search and destroy the tunnel system: Operation Crimp (1966) and Operation Cedar Falls (1967). Today, the mistreatment of American POWs and the suffering they endured remains a powerful legacy of the Vietnam War. During this deployment, he would be promoted to captain, earn two Bronze Stars and would be wounded in combat two times, receiving a Purple Heart for each time. Tunnel Rat soldier with his gas mask and gun. Twenty-year-old Mike . He had crossed the DMZ back into South Vietnam where he was shot as he was recaptured. Giant Killer: The incredible mysterious life of the shortest US soldier A dwarf, a Vietnam hero, a CIA operative, and a homeless man the almost unbelievable life of Richard James Flaherty. April 12, 2021. Vietnam), evaded for two weeks with a banged up leg and his right arm broken in three places. He returned to Vietnam in 1969 and stayed there until 1971 when he left the Army. This article was originally published 1/7/2021. Similarly, one soldier recalls how an encounter with the biggest rat he had ever seen led him to continually fire his gun. His size also meant he worked as a tunnel rat during his tour of duty, crawling through enemy tunnels to destroy them. Copyright 2023 Military.com. Whitesides was killed, and Thompson was taken prisoner; he would ultimately spend just short . He met Flaherty as a homeless man in 2000. lkunl/Shutterstock. 10,422 Vietnam War Soldiers Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images. Flaherty then called for a 90 millimeter recoilless rifle a shoulder-mounted explosive projectile launcher initially designed to destroy tanks to be brought to his position, and from there, led its two-man crew on an assault of the North Vietnamese bunker. Yuzuk said it was not long after he moved to Florida in 1999 and joined the Aventura Police Department that he noticed Flaherty. Jan 31, 2021 - MILTON The shortest soldier to serve in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, a highly decorated officer who completed one tour of duty as a platoon leader with Upon enlisting, Richard became the shortest soldier in US military history. Shortest US soldier in Vietnam War was not short in courage. Alternate title, "Dating on tinder when you're 5'11" or shorter". Though this article will explore specific examples later, these traps were particularly brutal in the tunnels. I quote the half-inch ants have such a powerful bite that to pull them off means losing a bit of skin. when a soldier had approximately two months remaining on his tour in Vietnam, he might take a long stick and notch it for each of his remaining days in-country. He increased the amount he ate and gained muscle through sports. If you are squeamish or hate thinking about claustrophobic conditions, take this as a warning: gruesome facts lie ahead! We can imagine that it may have had something to do with his Vietnam combat experiences. Threats of harming another Needless to say, sadly many of those Americans who did enter the tunnels ended up dying. Since tunnel rats extensively used explosives to collapse tunnel entrances and destroy what they found inside, combat training was particularly valuable. His life may have ended tragically, but it was also a life that included real heroism and self-sacrifice. His friend decides to investigate and finds a passport that shows Flaherty was secretly traveling to dangerous locations like Jordan, Iraq, Thailand, Vietnam, and Venezuela while living as a homeless man. Both known as the shortest soldiers in their units, each would serve in numerous battles as soldiers. Theyre known for their specialization in counterinsurgency, a skill that was heavily used during the Vietnam War. The Lone Soldier. Postal Service. Vietnam, 1967. Released in 1973. Submitted photo. But I went home, got on the computer and looked him up, and it checked out.. Some of the basic combat training (BCT) soldiers undertook helped though. Postal Service. According to an article in the Stamford Advocate, Flahertys body was found by two joggers. Yuzuk was stunned by both the sudden loss of a friend and the realization that he would need to do his own detective work to discover what Flaherty had not gotten around to telling him about his life. He used to spend all day at a movie theater. She also worked as a teaching assistant in the History Department. [8], https://blog.theveteranssite.greatergood.com/smallest-beret-vet/, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, https://www.facebook.com/TheGiantKIllerDocumentary/, Special Forces Operations Detachment A (SFODA) Commander, "Giant Killer: Richard James Flaherty's life", "Height-waiver Green Beret: Captain James Flaherty was a Special Forces legend", "Vietnam Vet Richard Flaherty Was 'The Giant Killer', "Decorated Vietnam War veteran killed by hit-and-run driver", "Police Identify Aventura Hit-and-Run Victim as Decorated War Veteran", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_J._Flaherty&oldid=1142406371, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 05:58. Just sitting and waiting. A soldier holding a small but venomous snake. Photo credit: Funker530. After being removed from the CIA, Flaherty helped catch a smuggling ring at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and worked undercover for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as an informant. Historians, for example, estimate that booby traps caused around 11 percent of US causalities in the Vietnam War. Richard Flaherty is laid to rest in an unmarked grave in Milton near Lisa Anness, a woman he described as the love of his life. When he reached adolescence, Flaherty was small compared to his peers. A Soldier's Thoughts. He had a story to tell. A young German soldier, 1944. Network news was filled with the stories of young men dying in combat to stem the spread of Communism to South Vietnam. When Flaherty was born, hed been deprived of oxygen, due to a rare blood condition his mother had, which stunted his growth. He took to eating six meals a day and was able to bulk up to the 100 lb. Create a password that only you will remember. On February 12 the first of 591 U.S. military and civilian POWs were released in Hanoi and flown directly to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. According to newspaper files, her grandparents operated a restaurant in Milton. He was killed in a hit-and-run accident in 2015. When you used to stack bodies, but your 15 yo great grandson keeps calling you "Piper Perri" and you don't know why. We here at the Veterans Site offer our sincerest thanks to Richard Flaherty for his service to the nation. On the other hand, combat troops had nearly an even chance of getting wounded, roughly 50%. It included an article about Flahertys tragic death in Aventura, Florida. Punji stake traps found in the tunnels highlight one of the most disgusting and feared examples of Vietnamese booby traps. that is degrading to another person. Trni was severely wounded after he skied into a mine during 1942, but . It is our duty to remember him for his noble service to the nation. The Viet Cong also made use of explosive booby traps and pressure detonated mines. Read. Reads: 47 Comments: 1. . He knew he wanted to enlist, but was faced with a problem: he was too short. Don't Threaten. He says of Flaherty, I think that Vietnam tortured Richard.. One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. The US Army Special Forces, commonly referred to as the Green Berets, are one of the countrys most elite fighting forces. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. Greek Army veteran (National service with 575th Marines Battalion and Army HQ). After the military he got into some pretty dicey stuff like gun trafficking. The only reason anything is known about his own past is that he shared it with an Aventura cop before he died. A marker has been ordered for his grave and is expected to be placed early next year. Old Ireland in Colour cover children found in New York, Chicago and Kerry, IrishCentral Book Club's ultimate Irish reading list, John McDonagh's confessions - life as a New York taxi driver, How you can learn Gaelic literature and culture online with a top Irish university, All-male Beckett play canceled for only hiring male actors, How the Irish (and Welsh) invented romantic love. Operation Crimp hoped to target a key Viet Cong headquarter location believed to be unground. However, as the Viet Cong soldier highlighted, by throwing grenades into the void ahead, or shooting pistols, the noise was deafening and alerted them to their presence. Flaherty attended Infantry Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a 2Lt on August 31, 1967. Soon after, Flaherty is killed by a hit-and-run driver. 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