As a result, sending a soldier underground, known as a tunnel rat, was often a final measure if all other methods had failed. Finding out about him and what he had done since graduating from high school has put me through a roller coaster of emotions. He was awarded a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts during his service. A soldier holding a small but venomous snake. He agreed to cooperate, but said that once we got started, I had to promise to finish the project, Yuzuk said. The objective is to promote history on Medium and demonstrate the value of historical writing. He was discharged in October 1971 as a Captain. Richard Flaherty returned to the U.S. and trained at the Army's Special Warfare School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, becoming a member of the Green Berets. 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. This restoration was pivotal as it enabled some of the key successes enjoyed by the Viet Cong. Capt. Richard J. Flaherty with two classmates at Officer Candidate School in 1967 (Photo: David Yuzuk / Laptrinhx.com ). Every group would do things differently. Richard Flaherty, was certainly a standout. Though Americans, Australians, and New Zealanders claim to know these hideouts existed, they overlooked their size and importance. He had a story to tell. He came home from Vietnam after his second tour and moved to Hallandale, Florida, where he worked for a time with the U.S. Flaherty was unfazed by the criticism he continued to receive throughout his life. A former TV Reporter. More from us: Phil Bucklew: The Father of US Naval Special Warfare. Be Truthful. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. Operation Crimp hoped to target a key Viet Cong headquarter location believed to be unground. A light tunnel exploration kit may also include items such as powdered CS, colored-smoke grenades, insect repellent, protective masks, a field telephone, a compass to plot the route, a telephone wire spool, probing rods, bayonets, a flashlight, entrenching tools to reveal and widen entrances, and a .22-calibre HD or MK I pistol. This was devastating news to Yuzuk. On January 27, 1973, the Paris Peace Accords were signed, officially bringing to an end the American war in Vietnam. Saddest to me is that Flaherty was a man who had done much and who could have offered so much more, but he got lost in ways well never understand. Yuzuk came to know Richard Flaherty, not just as a homeless man, but as a man of intelligence and goodness. . Myanmar 159.52cm (5 feet 2.80 inches) The Temples of Bagan in Mandalay, Myanmar. Network news was filled with the stories of young men dying in combat to stem the spread of Communism to South Vietnam. The bombs caused earthquakes that destroyed the tunnels and their ventilation shafts. Since last May I have thought about him off and on and finally felt that I needed to tell his story, or as much of it as I could find out. As a result of their lunchtime talks, Yuzuk had decided to make a documentary about Flaherty. He also discovered that, while homeless, Flaherty was secretly traveling to places like Jordan, Iraq, Thailand, Vietnam and Venezuela. He was struck and killed in a hit and run in 2015. High 64F. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. He did time in prison for drugs but was that a cover or a real conviction? The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. After graduating from the Special Forces Qualification Course, Flaherty was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) as a detachment commander and sent to southeast Asia with the 46th Special Forces Company. If possible they also used gas to disorient, scare, and suffocate tunnel rat soldiers. Flaherty's Irish ancestry came from his grandfather Joseph Patrick Flaherty, born in Aran Islands and his grandmother Bridget Smythe, born in Feakle. The Giant Killer (available to rent now on iTunes, Amazon and other VOD platforms) aims to unravel the truth of his post-service life and mysterious death. According to federal law, the United States' military involvement in the Vietnam War began in February 1961 and lasted until May 1975. They have given so much and suffered so much. He fought and distinquished himself in Vietnam. The US Army Special Forces, commonly referred to as the Green Berets, are one of the countrys most elite fighting forces. In her spare time, Rosemary enjoys spending time with her partner, her cats, and her horse, or sitting down to read a good book. It was only after a determined effort, which included the involvement of his local Congressman, that he managed to acquire a waiver. Once the Viet Cong caught on to what was happening, they began to use the same soap the Americans used. 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. The only reason anything is known about his own past is that he shared it with an Aventura cop before he died. Holy shit even disregarding the adversity overcome about his height, this dude seriously fucked. The CIA? The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Not only was he the shortest Green Beret to serve in Vietnam, he was also the shortest US serviceman in history. All rights reserved. The primary focus of his time in the CIA was supplying the Nicaraguan Contras in Nicaragua. Wounded Marine Gunnery Sgt. That month, his platoon came under heavy automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fire from a North Vietnamese Army force. He says of Flaherty, I think that Vietnam tortured Richard.. 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. . Due to his small stature (he was just 4feet 9inches (1.45m) tall), he was known as "The Giant Killer". Since tunnel rats extensively used explosives to collapse tunnel entrances and destroy what they found inside, combat training was particularly valuable. When he graduated high school in 1966, the 4-foot-9-inch man was 3 inches under the Army's height requirement. Flaherty attended Infantry Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a 2Lt on August 31, 1967. Well anything under 4'10" is legally a disability under the law. Use the 'Report' link on Afghan war. After the military he got into some pretty dicey stuff like gun trafficking. If it did not force the enemy out, those inside the tunnels often suffocated to death instead. lkunl/Shutterstock. Sometimes, they would smear the tip of the stakes with urine, feces, poison, or other contaminants to infect the wound when it penetrated the skin. He left the Army in 1971 at the rank of captain due to a reduction in force. 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. Flaherty then moved on to work as an informant in an undercover investigation with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to stop a smuggling ring from stealing explosives and a classified weapon from Fort Bragg. Related: See what its like to jump out of a C-17 with the Armys 82nd Airborne. When an American soldier tripped the wire, the grenade would detonate inside the tunnel. that is degrading to another person. Capt. So for a combat soldier, there was about a 10% chance of being killed in action. Flaherty had an admiration for the Army Special Forces known as the Green Berets. Needless to say, sadly many of those Americans who did enter the tunnels ended up dying. 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. The Viet Cong were simply experts at utilizing their surroundings to their advantage. 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 . The average Liberian is 159.66cm (5 feet 2.85 inches) tall. They carried out tunnel rat duties as and when they needed in addition to any other duties they performed. Soldier in Vietnam War was the Army's Badass Combatant . However, only about 20 percent of those served in generally recognized 'combat' roles. Amazingly, these tunnel rat soldiers were volunteers. He returned to Vietnam in 1969 and stayed there until 1971 when he left the Army. A marker has been ordered for his grave and is expected to be placed early next year. You have permission to edit this article. After Flahertys death, Yuzuk kept digging, researching, and confirming. It is here that his story begins to take many twists and turns. Thankfully, Richard Flahertys story lives on, as he shared it with David Yuzuk, a local police officer, before his death. Richards future, therefore, was sealed before he took his first breath. TIMES STAFF WRITER. (Petty Officer 2nd Class . Unless medical issues had something to do with it. His stint with the CIA came to an end when he was arrested for possessing silencers. April 12, 2021. Yuzuk also found papers showing that Flaherty had paid a deposit for a burial plot in Miltons Forest Memorial Park, with a request to be buried near Lisa Davis Anness, whom the Vietnam vet described as the love of his life. Richard Flaherty, was certainly a standout. too light. Similarly, one soldier recalls how an encounter with the biggest rat he had ever seen led him to continually fire his gun. This required him to put on even more weight and get another waiver signed to excuse him from the height requirements. 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. During the war, more than 58,000 servicemen and women lost their lives. Copyright 2023 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. July 21, 2015. 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. Initially, America used hunting dogs to locate the enemy. Trni was severely wounded after he skied into a mine during 1942, but . Oct 15, 2015 Ian Harvey, Guest Author. Rosemary Giles is a history content writer with Hive Media. Infantry Advanced Individual Training also helped them to deal more in-depth with other issues. Some of us may have known Richard Flaherty only because of his small size. The complications caused a hormonal imbalance that stunted his growth. An average Liberian woman is 155.66cm (5 feet 1.28 inches) tall. [1], Flaherty was born on 28 November 1945 in Stamford, Connecticut. Four-foot, nine-inch tall veteran Richard J. Flaherty claimed to be the shortest man ever to serve in the United States military. Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don't miss out on updates. A colleague dragged him out before he grabbed a frag and threw it into the hole too. That medically makes you a dwarf (little person). Alternate title, "Dating on tinder when you're 5'11" or shorter". Maybe its because, as a high school student, I knew him, if only from a distance. And there was more; he was homeless. Click Today's Obituaries to view all of the listings. His unit in the 101st was ambushed as it passed a hidden North Vietnamese bunker. But first he had to fight simply to get into the Army. Standing tall in four-feet and nine-inches, Captain Richard Flaherty, might be too small for the conventional height for the United States Army. Finally, this list will look at how successful these attempts were in the grand scheme of things. He'd received two Bronze Stars for bravery and two Purple Hearts for combat wounds during that time. In 1966, the Army issued six tunnel-exploration tester kits. Please support The Veterans Site by adding us to your ad blockers whitelist ads help us to provide food and supplies to veterans. Lieutenant Flaherty then personally directed and assisted the 90 Millimeter recoilless rifle team in an assault of the enemy bunker, braving up the intense hail of hostile fire. 75,000 Vietnam veterans are severely disabled. When Flaherty was born, hed been deprived of oxygen, due to a rare blood condition his mother had, which stunted his growth. Join IrishCentrals Book Club on Facebook and enjoy our book-loving community. This kit included a S&W .38-calibre special model 10 revolver with both a silencer and aiming light. Somewhere along his path, Flaherty became homeless. 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. 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. Flaherty returned to the U.S. later that year, and graduated from the Armys Special Warfare School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, becoming a member of the elite Green Berets. These tunnels hugely impacted American morale as it was difficult to comprehend that the enemy could be hiding just feet away yet were undetectable and unreachable. 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. 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. He was killed in a hit-and-run accident in 2015. He would see Flaherty and talk with him every day; they would even eat lunch together. These guerrillas were fighting the colonial power of France. The enemy used this to their advantage. After being discharged, Flaherty did private and military contract work in Rhodesia and Angola in Africa. After his service in Vietnam, Richard Flaherty applied for Special Forces training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. By 1990, he was homeless and living on the streets of Aventura, Florida. 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. A lot of the time, other soldiers thought these volunteers also had to be a certain type of crazy. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. David Yuzuk's police radio blared from his shoulder as he leaned against his patrol car outside Boston Market in Aventura. 4' 9" 97lb Vietnam War Vet Green Beret Captain Richard J. Flaherty was the smallest US soldier to ever serve in the military. Tweets from https://twitter.com/heralddispatch/lists/hd-news-4. You just backed out and told them up above the tunnel was cold.. Example of a spike ball booby trap on display. 11,465 of those killed were younger than 20 years old. Lieutenant Flaherty immediately called a 90 Millimeter recoilless rifle team to his position after having spotted an enemy bunker position to his front, which was delivering automatic weapons fire on his platoon. Capt. Five men killed in Vietnam were only 16 years old. 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. On the other stood a 5ft 7in (170 . Neither family, nor friends know why. Richard Flaherty was just a kid I knew briefly in high school. Flaherty left the Army in 1971 and attended the University of Miami in Florida. March 28, 2022 Local Vietnam veterans showcase . When he graduated OCS and his Special Forces training, he volunteered for combat duty with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. Some 385,000 American troops were sent to Vietnam in 1966, the year Richard Flaherty graduated from high school. Despite his size Richard Flaherty had all the heart in the world and it showed when he was platoon leader in Vietnam. Were only 16 years old ever seen led him to continually fire his.... The name shortest soldier in vietnam will be displayed next to your Photo for comments, blog posts and! 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