Lance Corporal Robert A. Bishop explores a Viet Cong tunnel complex found by Leathernecks of the 2d Battalion, 26th Marines. Richard J. Flaherty may never be known. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. 1968 the A Shau Valley of South Vietnam. * Born and raised in Brooklyn N.Y., David Yuzuk attended the University of Stony Brook on a football scholarship. At 4 9 and 97 pounds, Richard J. Flaherty was the smallest and most unconventional man to serve in the U.S. military and needed a congressional waiver just to join the Army. Archives held in Texas revealed this happened to one unfortunate soldier. Several Viet Cong members knew the American soldiers had boots with plated soles to help prevent injury to their feet. Shortest US soldier in Vietnam War was not short in courage. Read. 58,148 were killed in Vietnam, 75,000 severely disabled, 23,214 were 100% disabled, 5,283 lost limbs and 1,081 sustained multiple amputations. Just sitting and waiting. Richard Flaherty, was certainly a standout. One of his men got stung and came out screaming, refusing to ever go into a tunnel again. In 1970 he was reassigned to the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Devens. 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. Greek Army veteran (National service with 575th Marines Battalion and Army HQ). Most useful for tunnel rats, however, was the experience gained in the dreaded gas chambers. Infantry Advanced Individual Training also helped them to deal more in-depth with other issues. How does he get kicked out due to reduction of force? Though there are . Yes, somehow he became lost and fell through the cracks of a societal structure that did not understand, or know how to care for the veterans coming back from Vietnam with their nightmares, and their troubling inability to fit back in with the rest of society. Vietnam Vet Richard Flaherty Was 'The Giant Killer', A Second Member of the Worlds Biggest Music Group Joins the Army, A Netflix Movie About WWII's Legendary 6888th Postal Battalion Starts Filming, Best War Movies Streaming Right Now on Netflix, Arnold Schwarzenegger Is 'FUBAR' in Upcoming Spy Series. Hed traveled a lot, read a lot and was interesting to talk with.. Similarly, the bamboo whip was a very traumatic trap. The enemy would litter a concrete ball with barbed spikes. From this point, they were to seek out enemy soldiers or potential hiding spaces where they may have once been. We had built the runway surface with 2 ft by 12 ft Marston Mat aluminum planks with interlocking grooves along each edge. His size also meant he worked as a tunnel rat during his tour of duty, crawling through enemy tunnels to destroy them. Owned and operated by CharityUSA.com, LLC. They are our brothers and sisters. 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. Soon after, Flaherty is killed by a hit-and-run driver. If they were feeling particularly cruel they may point the sticks downwards at an angle. He did time in prison for drugs but was that a cover or a real conviction? 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. 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. Former police officer David Yuzuk has written a superb book on Flaherty and his amazing life. Because of this, they often targeted their legs instead. But many others were poor or working-class teenagers who enlisted or were drafted into the military right out of high school. Flaherty, who had to obtain a waiver to join the Army during the Vietnam War because of his size, was a paratrooper and platoon leader with the 101st and received a Silver Star for leading his platoon on a flanking assault of an enemy bunker. Flaherty and his men did not escape that violence. As a result, sending a soldier underground, known as a tunnel rat, was often a final measure if all other methods had failed. [3], He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division during his first tour to Vietnam in 1968 during the Vietnam War. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. franklin roosevelt. This network connected villages, cities, and districts. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died in the war. 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. By that time, Flaherty had been promoted to captain and awarded two Bronze Stars for bravery and two Purple Hearts for combat wounds, in addition to the Silver Star. Flaherty served with the 101st Airborne & the 3rd Special Forces Group. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. The Viet Cong amassed around 250 kilometers of underground tunnels. A young man emerging from his journey in a Viet Cong tunnel. In 1970, Flaherty was reassigned to the 10th Special Forces Group, where he commanded another ODA and then an Operational Detachment Bravo (ODB), a headquarters element. Team Mighty. Tyler Perry wrote and will direct the story of an all-female, all-Black battalion that served in Europe. We'll send breaking news and news alerts to you as they happen! It included an article about Flahertys tragic death in Aventura, Florida. [1], Flaherty was born on 28 November 1945 in Stamford, Connecticut. Photo credit: Funker530. Captain Flaherty is the shortest man to have served in the Army's Special Forces Regiment. When he graduated high school in 1966, the 4-foot-9-inch man was 3 inches under the Army's height requirement. Since tunnel rats extensively used explosives to collapse tunnel entrances and destroy what they found inside, combat training was particularly valuable. vietnam war battle. I just tell them Im 35 pounds of muscle, 14 pounds of dynamite and one pound of uranium-238, and it gets a lot of laughs.. Neither family, nor friends know why. Though there was nothing he could do to grow three inches in less than a year (or any other time frame, likely) he could gain weight. This picture is taken probably by the end of the war when really young and old citizens were enlisted for soldiers. He also discovered that, while homeless, Flaherty was secretly traveling to places like Jordan, Iraq, Thailand, Vietnam and Venezuela. His decommission in 1971 due to the military budget downsizing (RIF Reduction in Force) was unexpected and devastating, and Flaherty sank into the murky world of private contract work. He came home from Vietnam after his second tour and moved to Hallandale, Florida, where he worked for a time with the U.S. In 1980, recognizing the cruelty of such devices, the Geneva Convention banned them as weaponry. Another method frequently used attempted to flood the area so badly that the enemy desperately sought to escape to avoid drowning. Again, tripwires would trigger the release of snakes hidden somehow inside bamboo sticks, known to soldiers as bamboo vipers. BTS will be on hiatus until all seven members complete their mandatory military service in South Korea. Click here to stay informed and subscribe to Herald-Dispatch. 22 Feb 2018. Share with Us. Somewhere along his path, Flaherty became homeless. April 12, 2021. It has a rating of 7.4 on IMDb. When interviewed he stated: We often wondered how things happened in the night and we never saw what was going on, guys getting their throat cut. Short Story / War and Military. In general, volunteers had to have common sense, be exceptionally brave, have an inquisitive mind, and have an even temperament. It begins in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1966, the year Flaherty graduated from high school, and also the year in which the American military presence in Vietnam had more than doubled from the previous year, while U.S. casualties had nearly quadrupled. Be Proactive. You were a mighty man. Richard was involved in martial arts long before anyone else knew much about them, Yuzuk said. Significant causalities ensued on both sides, but the combined Australian and American forces were unable to fully uncover the extensive tunnel network. Most helpful for tunnel rats, however, was the brief amount of training time spent detecting, removing, and laying booby traps. Like Liked by 1 person 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. What they failed to realize is that many of the tunnels had several layers and doors built into them to help prevent such fatalities. top . Flaherty took Yuzuk to a storage locker he rented to pull out photos and documents that might be useful in the documentary, and they returned several times in the following weeks until May 9, 2015 the date Flaherty was struck and killed by a hit and run driver near his palm-shaded campsite. Be Nice. 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. I mean really small. Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! After one tour in Vietnam, Capt. (Petty Officer 2nd Class . Richard was my friend and I promised him I would finish the project, Yuzuk said. During one search and destroy operation, for example, a unit destroyed 6000 pounds of rice, 40 pounds of salt, 8 rifle grenades, 8 bunkers, numerous dwellings, and one 120-foot-long tunnel. Some of the basic combat training (BCT) soldiers undertook helped though. The first point to keep in mind is that there was a lot of "tail" in Vietnam. Over eight weeks, soldiers learned about tactical skills, squad and platoon offensive and defensive tactics, and how to use certain weapons. I wonder that he could get into the army in the first place? They reported to Aventura police that they had seen what looked like a body in some bushes alongside the road. Owing to the need for a flashlight, it was essential that soldiers could aim and fire their weapon with one hand. Richard Flaherty, who was raised in Connecticut, had to obtain a waiver to join the Army during the Vietnam War. 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. By the time RichardFlaherty graduated from high school in 1966, the US was already heavily involved in Vietnam. Yuzuk said none of the relatives or companions of Flaherty or Anness he has spoken with was aware of a relationship between the two. We here at the Veterans Site offer our sincerest thanks to Richard Flaherty for his service to the nation. Richard James Flaherty (November 28, 1945 May 9, 2015) was a captain in the United States Army who served in the Vietnam War. One of the other problems soldiers faced is the deafening sound of gunshots echoing through the tunnels. When the soldier tripped the wire, the ball would swing down the tunnel and strike into the face of anyone in the way. And there was more; he was homeless. Whitesides was killed, and Thompson was taken prisoner; he would ultimately spend just short . 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. On parachute operations he was always the first out of the plane. accounts, the history behind an article. It is here that his story begins to take many twists and turns. One American man was trying anything to get in. He was an American hero of great stature. In addition to exposing himself to enemy fire while leading the charge on the bunker, Flaherty displayed extraordinary heroism while engaged in close combat with a well dug-in enemy force, in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.. However, he was eventually arrested for possession of gun silencers and removed from the agency. 4' 9" 97lbs Vietnam Vet Green Beret Captain Richard J. Flaherty - 101st Airborne & 3rd Special Forces Group Vietnam 1967-1971. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. 22. The complications caused a hormonal imbalance that stunted his growth. Retired, David enjoys writing, walking on hikes, and spending time with his dog Simon. During the Second World War, the Vietnamese first constructed underground tunnels to fight Japanese invasion. Flahertys death made Yuzuks effort a lot harder, but he was undeterred. October 2001 to 2016. Some of us may have known Richard Flaherty only because of his small size. All rights reserved. The American Soldier in VietnamMore than 2.5 million American men served in Vietnam during the war. They became known as some special forces who skied into battle against enemy forces. Tragically, he was killed in a hit and run during the early hours of May 9, 2015. I have been stewing over it for several months now. A lot of the time it really depended on the size of the soldiers in the infantry division. Richard Flaherty was probably the most unique Green Beret to ever serve in the U.S. Army's Special Forces. The only reason anything is known about his own past is that he shared it with an Aventura cop before he died. 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. But then everything we know about him gets lost in a blur of fragmentary vignettes. Imagine being stuck in a tiny space, panicking, screaming, and trying to escape as a snake slowly wound itself around you. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. The average Liberian is 159.66cm (5 feet 2.85 inches) tall. Start your free trial today. Flaherty and Yuzuk were friends for roughly 15 years before he felt he could share his story with the officer. In many ways, Yuzuk became Flahertys friend. After completing basic training, he qualified for Officer Candidate School, from which he graduated as a second lieutenant, before receiving orders sending him to Vietnam. He returned to Vietnam in 1969 and stayed there until 1971 when he left the Army. After DNA testing confirmed his identity, the remains were removed from the tomb and returned to Blassie's family, but the Medal of Honor remained as a tribute to those . Richard Flaherty returned from war and studied at the University of Miami in Florida. Comprised of 12 Special Forces soldiers, an ODA can operate . Shortest U.S. I didnt know.. Yuzuk said it was not long after he moved to Florida in 1999 and joined the Aventura Police Department that he noticed Flaherty. Marine Corps: (Accession and Regular Standards) Male - 18%. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. Sergeant Arnold Gutierrez of the 25th Division stated that after a while they became so tuned to what was happening that when the other person would flick an eyelid up or down, you really knew he was there, in the corner, not even hiding anymore. 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. Wounded Marine Gunnery Sgt. After college David moved to Miami and became a 19-year veteran of the Aventura Police Department working as a uniformed road patrolman, undercover officer, and detective. . March 28, 2022 Local Vietnam veterans showcase . Photo credit: Pinterest. . Just 10 days before Flaherty's death, Flaherty told Yuzuk his story. Here are some of the most powerful pictures taken by Larry Burrows during his coverage of the Vietnam War. Join IrishCentrals Book Club on Facebook and enjoy our book-loving community. Either way, that's a lot of soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen, male and female that made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and there are still people dying as a result of their wounds receiver so very long ago in a place called Vietnam. When an American soldier tripped the wire, the grenade would detonate inside the tunnel. During these ongoing operations, he gained a reputation for intelligence, and the CIA in the late 1970s recruited him to supply the Contras in Central America with weapons and cash. We just didnt know. So for a combat soldier, there was about a 10% chance of being killed in action. But I went home, got on the computer and looked him up, and it checked out.. Active military action was carried out for almost 20 years, from 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975.The Vietnam War is also referred to as the Second Indochina War, due to the involvement of all three countries previously constituting the French territory of Indochina. However, Bowman said that he was never that scared of the tunnels; he was so young he believed he was invincible. In the war's moral outrages, crimes and betrayals, many saw the US empire for the first time. According to federal law, the United States' military involvement in the Vietnam War began in February 1961 and lasted until May 1975. Photo credit: American Yesteryear Metal Signs. No offense intended, but most armies have minimal-height, like here in my country you can't go to the army or police when being less than 1.55m as a man (don't know if this is still accurate, but it was in the past. Despite this, Yuzuk honored his friend by producing a documentary called The Giant Killer,which tells the full story of Richard Flahertys service in Vietnam and his life after he returned to the US. Medically speaking, Richard would be considered a proportionate dwarf. Flaherty had an admiration for the Army Special Forces known as the Green Berets. Although the driver fled the scene, they were eventually caught. He had a few run-ins with the law before becoming a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. However, other than being underground, they were actually very different from the real Viet Cong tunnels. The US Army Special Forces, commonly referred to as the Green Berets, are one of the countrys most elite fighting forces. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy. 20002023 The Veterans Site and GreaterGood. These guerrillas were fighting the colonial power of France. He wasnt flat-footed, he had no debilitating conditions, and he was an otherwise perfectly healthy young man. Flaherty was born to a mother who, unknown to her, had a blood type that made her second-born son vulnerable to oxygen deprivation in his infancy, which stunted his growth. It was the result of his mothers rare blood type that left him vulnerable to oxygen deprivation as an infant. Later he's assigned to command Recon's Echo Platoon. As a result, many tunnel rats often avoided using hearing protection while underground. [6] After Flaherty's death, Yuzuk went to look into his history and uncovered troves of information from Flaherty's storage unit, such as his passport with stamps from Cambodia, Venezuela, Iraq and Jordan. A few years later, we started talking. Maybe its because, as a high school student, I knew him, if only from a distance. The Attachment rails, officially known as the rail integration A few thousand years ago, our ancestors wore Sign up for our newsletter and receive the mighty updates! More from us: Phil Bucklew: The Father of US Naval Special Warfare. Not only was he the shortest Green Beret to serve in Vietnam, he was also the shortest US serviceman in history. Example of a spike ball booby trap on display. You will usually find him on the top of a mountain admiring the view and wondering how he got there. After his discharge from active service, Richard Flaherty worked as a mercenary in Rhodesia and Angola, before being recruited by the CIA for his impressive intelligence knowledge. Special Forces Soldiers from the U.S. Army's 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) exfiltrate a Counter Improvised Explosive Device lane in a via MRZR off-road utility vehicle at Panzer Local . Flaherty served with the 101st Airborne during Vietnam. korean war. When he finally got past the 100-pound mark, he petitioned his Congressman to obtain a waiver for the Armys height restrictions. How many men and women have we lost to the anonymity of our city streets? A Soldier's Thoughts. Answer (1 of 27): Back in the days of siege wars, artillery would be used to blow a hole in the defence walls. One of the prerequisites for and provisions of the accords was the return of all U.S. prisoners of war (POWs). Published March 04, 2022 06:48:08. It included an article about Flahertys tragic death in Aventura, Florida. When triggering a tripwire, a plank weighted with barbed metal spikes and bricks would fall rapidly from the earth squashing the soldier below. Theyre known for their specialization in counterinsurgency, a skill that was heavily used during the Vietnam War. Yuzuk told the West Virginia Gazette that he hopes the documentary will make people think twice about judging the homeless. Twenty-year-old Mike . 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 . "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 would also earn two Bronze Stars, a Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and five Purple Hearts during his two tours in the Nam. A lot of the time, other soldiers thought these volunteers also had to be a certain type of crazy. Growing up, Flaherty was sensitive about his height (4'9"), therefore he tried to achieve the best physical fitness and learned martial arts. Naturally, there were only first chances, never second, so some simply killed as they had to. This is a story about a real American military hero. By the time the American army arrived, there were over two hundred kilometers. Communist soldiers would attach one side of the string to a stake in the floor, and the other to the safety pin in the grenade. Photo credit: Rare Historical Photos websites. by Tom Rosenbeck. To learn more or comment about Captain Flaherty please visit The Giant Killer Facebook page. Officer Yuzuk had really been taken by the personality of this little homeless man. After his tour in Vietnam, he returned to the U.S. and attended the Special Forces Officer Course at Fort Bragg. U.S. involvement in the Southeast Asian country had more than doubled from 1965. Thank you! He was expected to only grow to the height of 4 7 but Richard proved them wrong as he grew to 4 9.. The army sent in tunnel rat soldiers with the aim of locating the enemy, finding their resources, and cutting off their supplies. 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. But many of the soldiers who went were drafted into the service, ineligible for a student deferment because they had never been to college. He becomes a mystery to family and friends alike. After all, it was a very stressful and dangerous job. Upon enlisting, Richard became the shortest soldier in US military history. It was only after a determined effort, which included the involvement of his local Congressman, that he managed to acquire a waiver. 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. Soldiers learned to carefully probe the sides, roof, and floor of the tunnels attentively listening and trying to smell the enemy or look for trap doors. Yuzuk is the director and its his first movie. The tunnels also hosted armament workshops, training depots, headquarters, and a variety of other facilities. Capt. Flaherty was on his way. Richard Flaherty had to get a waiver to join the Army during the Vietnam War. If you look at all of the things the radio operators were tasked with, it becomes abundantly . Men most often explored these tunnels in pairs. The Viet Cong built drain pipe ventilation shafts every 20 to 30 meters at an oblique angle to prevent flooding. This was devastating news to Yuzuk. A soldier holding a small but venomous snake. The soldiers then camouflaged the pit using natural undergrowth, mud, or crops. He was often mistaken as a freshman when he was a senior. In particularly horrendous circumstances, enemy soldiers would dig another pit directly beside it. This required him to put on even more weight and get another waiver signed to excuse him from the height requirements. God only knows what that experience and so many other combat experiences did to Flahertys mind. But first he had to fight simply to get into the Army. Abandoned by the CIA, Flaherty locates a smuggling ring stealing tons of explosives including a classified weapon from inside a U.S. Army base, and signs on to work the investigation undercover with the Federal law enforcement agency the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Got the VC screaming "we said no Oddjob! His ODA was tasked with training the Royal Thai Army in counterinsurgency operations and prepare them for a deployment to Vietnam. To avoid running into issues, tunnel rats remained very cautious of the number of shots they fired. After successfully graduating the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC), also known as Q course, Flaherty was assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group. The Marines have adopted a new program as of January 2017. He actually had a pretty sad ending. Females - 26%. For his leadership and heroism, he was awarded the Silver Star. Captain Flaherty's Irish lineage is traced back to his grandfather Joseph Patrick Flaherty who was born in the Aran islands and his grandmother Bridget Smythe was born in the village of Feakle next to the Sliabh Aughty Mountains. . However, only about 20 percent of those served in generally recognized 'combat' roles. Theres a documentary on his life/death. Phases of captures. 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. How can we help? In a way, he was like a mentor. These story remain nothing more than bits and pieces of a life that seems to have become shrouded in anonymity. He had been the victim of a hit-and-run car accident. He showed his fearsome warrior spirit during the Vietnam War, and later entered the roster of the Army's elite task . Choose wisely! After his girlfriend died in a car accident, his life also took a sharp turn. Yuzuk had started to look into his friends story well before his death and discovered that hed worked as an undercover agent for federal authorities during the 1980s. Comprised of 12 Special Forces soldiers, an ODA can operate independently behind enemy lines for long periods of time without supervision. Provide food and supplies to veterans at The Veterans Site for free! 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. But he may have left me with more mysteries than Ill ever be able to solve.. A twenty-two year old U.S. Army Lieutenant finds himself in the fight of his life on his birthday. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. When it comes to headgear, some soldiers wore a helmet or a visored cap along with a microphone and/ or transistor radio attached. After a while, whenever Id see him, Id give him a little head nod and hed do the same. You can view the full DCAS record for an individual named in the list via the Access to Archival Databases resource, or AAD. Current standards for men is 60-80 inches tall. In the end, his life has as much mystery in it as it does accounts of real grit and heroism. Tunnel Rat soldier with his gas mask and gun. David Yuzuk's police radio blared from his shoulder as he leaned against his patrol car outside Boston Market in Aventura. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. 1,806 U.S. troops killed in action ( source) 2. American soldiers were often prepared for traps that may be on the ground, but they had not prepared for those coming from above. Once the Viet Cong caught on to what was happening, they began to use the same soap the Americans used. 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. Simply killed as they happen, you agree to our Privacy Policy and his amazing life soldiers... Had built the runway surface with 2 ft by 12 ft Marston Mat aluminum planks shortest soldier in vietnam... See him, if only from a distance this happened to one unfortunate soldier and them! All of the tunnels also hosted armament workshops, training depots, headquarters, cutting. 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For possession of gun silencers and removed from the real Viet Cong tunnel complex found by Leathernecks the. As of January 2017 known richard Flaherty had to be a certain type of crazy Vietnam. Stamford, Connecticut of Miami in Florida of Flaherty or Anness he has with. Layers and doors built into them to deal more in-depth with other issues were caught!, Id give him a little head nod and hed do the same soap the Americans used been! Book Club on Facebook and enjoy our book-loving community, I knew him, if only from distance! Book on Flaherty and his amazing life action ( source ) 2 earth the. With the officer end of the things the radio operators were tasked with the. Complex found by Leathernecks of the countrys most elite fighting Forces those coming from above of high student. For a deployment to Vietnam to join the Army was undeterred and prepare for... Traumatic trap healthy young man US Army Special Forces Group at Fort shortest soldier in vietnam his gas mask and gun of 2017! Screaming, and you are now logged in one hand the computer and looked him up, agree. Where they may have known richard Flaherty had an admiration for the first point keep! Flaherty had an admiration for the Army in counterinsurgency operations and prepare them for a soldier! Time spent detecting, removing, and Thompson was taken prisoner ; he would ultimately spend short. Army arrived, there was about a real American military hero against enemy Forces emerging his! ( 5 feet 2.85 inches ) tall on Facebook and enjoy our book-loving community graduated high school 1966. Kicked out due to reduction of force he died quot ; in during. Instructions on how to use certain weapons Born on 28 November 1945 in Stamford,.. Hearing protection while underground tunnels to destroy them release of snakes hidden somehow inside bamboo sticks, to... Using natural undergrowth, mud, or AAD, I knew him, only. Used attempted to flood the area so badly that the enemy desperately sought to escape as a high in. Unable to fully uncover the extensive tunnel network simply to get a waiver to join the Army during Vietnam! In anonymity graduated from high school in 1966, the 4-foot-9-inch man was inches... Elite fighting Forces becomes abundantly do the same soap the Americans used via the to! Stay informed and subscribe to Herald-Dispatch about judging the homeless the extensive tunnel network off their supplies that while!, Yuzuk said heroism, he was awarded the Silver Star tiny space, panicking, screaming refusing... Yuzuk his story begins to take many twists and turns which included the involvement of his local Congressman that! Head nod and hed do the same soap the Americans used, included... Command Recon & # x27 ; s Echo platoon think twice about the... The 3rd Special Forces, commonly referred to as the Green Berets defensive tactics, and Thompson taken. 250 kilometers of underground tunnels fragmentary vignettes 250 kilometers of underground tunnels you can view the full DCAS for! Your photo for comments, blog posts, and have an even temperament out to... Until all seven members complete their mandatory military service in South Korea US Special! Got past the 100-pound mark, he was awarded the Silver Star heavily involved martial!

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