What was a tunnel rat in Vietnam War?

What was a tunnel rat in Vietnam War?

Tunnel rats were usually soldiers who were physically small—able to fit inside the tight spaces of the Viet Cong tunnels. They traveled light, carrying only a pistol, a knife and a flashlight.

How many tunnel rats were in Vietnam?

Imagine been alone down there, a million miles from home during those crazy 10,000 days in Vietnam. That both sets of men had to endure this life is appalling. There were never more than 100 Tunnel Rats in country at any one time and around 700 in total. There were 36 killed and 200 wounded.

Were combat engineers tunnel rats?

American “tunnel rats” were combat engineers on underground search and destroy missions — small, thin and highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, armed only with flashlights, knives and pistols.

What percentage of Tunnel Rats died?

A tunnel rat checks out a possible ventilation shaft. Marrett reportedly spent weeks in the bush locating and disarming mines, “During that period 36 of us were killed and around 200 were wounded, giving us a casualty rate of 33 percent, high even by Vietnam War standards.

How many officers were fragged in Vietnam?

Savage, estimated that up to 1,017 fragging incidents may have taken place in Vietnam, causing 86 deaths and 714 injuries of U.S. military personnel, the majority officers and NCOs.

What was a tunnel rat in the Vietnam War?

During the Vietnam War, “tunnel rat” became an unofficial specialty for volunteer combat engineers and infantrymen from Australia, New Zealand, and the United States who cleared and destroyed enemy tunnel complexes. Their motto was the tongue-in-cheek Latin phrase Non Gratus Anus Rodentum (“not worth a rat’s ass”).

Who were Tunnel Rats?

The tunnel rats were American, Australian and New Zealand soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the Vietnam War.

What is Tunnel Rat?

Tunnel Rat is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series.

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