The Viet Cong used this to their advantage to scare, and even kill, American soldiers. Stories reveal that one American soldier raised his head through a tunnel entrance only to have a piece of metal automatically speared through his neck. He was discharged in October 1971 as a Captain. Flaherty was the shortest of these elite soldiers, standing at only four feet, nine inches tall. But knowing a little bit more about his story now makes me wish I had known him better. Here, leaders forced soldiers into specific chambers and made to recite their name, rank, and service number. How many other Richard Flahertys are there living among us as homeless veterans? When he graduated from high school, Flaherty was 4 feet, 9 inches tall three inches too short to meet the Armys height requirement at the time. The US army now sought alternate measures. When it came time to weigh in, Flaherty barely tipped the scale of 100 pounds. Id known him for 15 years, and this was the first time he ever mentioned the military. saigon 1975. army soldier. Although he is the subject of a new documentary available on Amazon Prime and iTunes and a soon-to-be-released book, the full story of Capt. 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. . After all, many soldiers are have said to prefer the M14 to the M16 during the Vietnam War, and the rifle has been described by other authors as a "phoenix" rising again and again when the U.S . Both known as the shortest soldiers in their units, each would serve in numerous battles as soldiers. Join IrishCentrals Book Club on Facebook and enjoy our book-loving community. Punji stake traps found in the tunnels highlight one of the most disgusting and feared examples of Vietnamese booby traps. 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. David Yuzuk directed, co-produced and co-wrote a biographical documentary film about the life of Flaherty, The Giant Killer, which was released in 2017. SS recruiters for the division accepted boys as young as 14 into the . After all, it was a very stressful and dangerous job. He eraned the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, and 2 Purple Hearts -smallestsoldier.com . Flaherty began to open up and talk to Yuzuk about his life only a few weeks before his tragic and lonely death as a hit-and-run victim last May. In 1980, recognizing the cruelty of such devices, the Geneva Convention banned them as weaponry. Don't Threaten. He becomes a mystery to family and friends alike. Thankfully, Richard Flahertys story lives on, as he shared it with David Yuzuk, a local police officer, before his death. He enlisted that same year, finishing basic training, qualifying for Officer Candidate School, and deploying to Vietnam as a second lieutenant. 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. His mother didnt know at the time of his birth that her blood type was Rh-negative which may lead to serious health problemsand deathin a second-born fetus. Be Truthful. Some of these men were career military officers. See what its like to jump out of a C-17 with the Armys 82nd Airborne, How to make it through Special Forces selection, How one unusual vehicle helped create Americas Special Forces, Special Forces officer slated to lead NATO special operations, This new Special Forces video mixes history and heroism in the best ways, 8 Green Berets on what it means to be Army Special Forces, ST Idaho: The Special Forces team that vanished in the jungle, Putin has a Problem: Russia can barely build any tanks to fight in Ukraine, Controlling killer swarms of swarms: Inside DARPAs AMASS, The Marine Corps is closing down its Scout Sniper platoons, Get Out: Making The Most of a Duty Station. Flaherty dedicated himself to gaining weight. Many knew him over the last decade and a half of his life as a nameless little homeless guy in Hallandale, but he was much more than that. Imagine being stuck in a tiny space, panicking, screaming, and trying to escape as a snake slowly wound itself around you. Similarly, one American soldier highlighted how they liked to soften things up by throwing in one or more hand grenades before sending in tunnel rats. We offer our condolences to his family and to his friends. 66F. He returned to Vietnam in 1969 and stayed there until 1971 when he left the Army. This kit included a S&W .38-calibre special model 10 revolver with both a silencer and aiming light. My three-year journey of discovery dragged me down the rabbit hole of CIA conspiracies and the hunt for stolen classified weaponsstretching from the bloody jungles of Vietnam to the dangerous streets of Iraq and Venezuela, all in search of the peripatetic Green Beret Captain Richard J. Flaherty, Yuzuk said. The average Liberian is 159.66cm (5 feet 2.85 inches) tall. Because of this, they often targeted their legs instead. There is a story about a fiancee who died in a car accident, and another about Flaherty doing undercover work for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). Flaherty led his platoon in a flanking assault on the enemy position, during which an NVA bunker was spotted. Related: See what its like to jump out of a C-17 with the Armys 82nd Airborne. While it covered a lot of the same things as infantry training, it focused more on map reading, knot-tying, navigation, use of hand and power tools, camouflage, constructing barbed-wire obstacles, mine laying, and mine detection. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. As each day passed he would cut the stick off another notch until on his rotation day he was left with only a small stub. It was the year of the Tet Offensive, where U.S. troop numbers peaked at more than half a million. You see, Richard Flaherty was only 410. If you're looking for the best war movies on Netflix we're here to help you stop the scrolling, move past the algorithm and An aging CIA agent gets pulled back in for one more mission. When you used to stack bodies, but your 15 yo great grandson keeps calling you "Piper Perri" and you don't know why. A particular Special Forces member, Capt. The idea, of course, was to scare the men so much that they did not continue to search the rest of the tunnel. Overall, tunnel rat soldiers received little, if any, specific training. Tunnel Rat soldier with his gas mask and gun. After being discharged, Flaherty did private and military contract work in Rhodesia and Angola in Africa. On the other stood a 5ft 7in (170 . Most useful for tunnel rats, however, was the experience gained in the dreaded gas chambers. You just backed out and told them up above the tunnel was cold.. Clothing-wise, it was a good idea to wear tight waterproof items to stop clothing from snagging on obstructions, leather gloves, and, if possible as mentioned knee pads to assist with crawling around. John Zander in Chu Lai, Vietnam in 1965. The Lone . As a 2nd Lieutenant and a platoon leader, he proved to be a fierce defender of his men. How can we help? Lauri Trni (Larry Thorne) in his three military uniforms. The US Army Special Forces, commonly referred to as the Green Berets, are one of the countrys most elite fighting forces. ", People dont know about Cotton and it shows. Four-foot, nine-inch tall veteran Richard J. Flaherty claimed to be the shortest man ever to serve in the United States military. You were a mighty man. After his tour in Vietnam, he returned to the U.S. and attended the Special Forces Officer Course at Fort Bragg. He deployed with the Screaming Eagles to Vietnam and served as a platoon and recon platoon leader. Wounded Marine Gunnery Sgt. To even attempt Special Forces training, Flaherty had to gain six pounds and get another height waiver. "The true story of the smallest Green Beret soldier who became a war hero-only to be killed homeless and alone, whose life and death are shrouded in mystery." He had spent his last years alive homeless. Communications, public relations, and marketing professional, and content creator during free time. Similarly, the bamboo whip was a very traumatic trap. Richard Flaherty returned from war and studied at the University of Miami in Florida. As a result of their lunchtime talks, Yuzuk had decided to make a documentary about Flaherty. There is an average of five names per line. top . During that 13-month tour to Vietnam, Flaherty received the Silver Star and two Bronze Stars for valor, respectively, the third and second-highest award for bravery under fire, and was wounded three times. Millions of Americans and tens of thousands of veterans and soldiers opposed the war in Vietnam. Marines who score 250 or higher on BOTH the PFT and CFT are given an additional 1 percent body fat. too light. The openings to these tunnels were very small and those tunnel rats who went into them did so armed only with a flashlight, a K-bar (knife), and a .45 pistol. One soldier would crawl about five meters behind the other to minimize the chance of death or injury if their leader activated a trap or a mine. A cemetery employee said the appropriate relatives have been contacted and a marker has been ordered and is expected to be set in place early next year. Here are some of the most powerful pictures taken by Larry Burrows during his coverage of the Vietnam War. lkunl/Shutterstock. Current standards for men is 60-80 inches tall. Postal Service. This picture is taken probably by the end of the war when really young and old citizens were enlisted for soldiers. everyone would watch to see which way the wind would take him. In one interview, tunnel rat soldier CW Bowman recalled how his fellow colleagues bet money on the fact he would not live through his whole tour as the job was so dangerous. It has a rating of 7.4 on IMDb. It helped give them the experience and confidence to cope with gas, should they encounter it in combat. These story remain nothing more than bits and pieces of a life that seems to have become shrouded in anonymity. After his service in Vietnam, Richard Flaherty applied for Special Forces training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He said he hopes the movie makes people think twice before being dismissive or hateful toward the homeless, many of whom are veterans, and make politicians think carefully before sending American men and women to foreign places to kill people. ~15 years. Photo credit: Funker360. Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, perfectly summarised the problem in 1969: The conventional army loses if it does not win, the guerrilla wins if he does not lose. When triggering a tripwire, a plank weighted with barbed metal spikes and bricks would fall rapidly from the earth squashing the soldier below. For his leadership and heroism, he was awarded the Silver Star. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 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 an airborne battalion and . He would also earn two Bronze Stars, a Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and five Purple Hearts during his two tours in the Nam. 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. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. 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. Snakes were also commonly used traps inside these tunnels. Commemoration of the war must account for these servicemen who underwent so much hardship for their nation. A former TV Reporter. He appealed to his Connecticut Senator, Christopher Dodd, and was able to get a special waiver into the Army. They have given so much and suffered so much. Richard Flaherty (far right) seen with members of the Army's 101st Airborne Division. The incompatibilities in the blood caused hormonal imbalances and stunted his growth. He had crossed the DMZ back into South Vietnam where he was shot as he was recaptured. 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