February 24, 2023. Click Today's Obituaries to view all of the listings. Flaherty had an admiration for the Army Special Forces known as the Green Berets. It is here that his story begins to take many twists and turns. 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. Upon graduation, he was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group and assigned to the 46th Special Forces Company in Thailand. Published March 04, 2022 06:48:08. You will usually find him on the top of a mountain admiring the view and wondering how he got there. We'd love to hear eyewitness There is an average of five names per line. October 2001 to 2016. Naturally, there were only first chances, never second, so some simply killed as they had to. He eraned the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, and 2 Purple Hearts -smallestsoldier.com . 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. That special task began to take shape in September 1966, when Flaherty received a letter from Rep. Donald J. Irwin, D-Conn., informing him that the Armys Surgeon General had recommended granting a waiver to the height requirement. Americans often carpet bombed areas under suspicion to try flushing out the enemy. M. These soldiers made punji stakes out of heated and sharpened wood or bamboo. Rosemary Giles is a history content writer with Hive Media. . 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. (Petty Officer 2nd Class . Eugene Debruin: civilian with Air America captured 5 Sep 63 in Laos when C-46 was shot down, 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. Not only was he the shortest Green Beret to serve in Vietnam, he was also the shortest US serviceman in history. BCT included lessons on hand-to-hand combat, chemical-warfare defense, map reading, first aid, bayonet fighting, guard duty, and the use of hand grenades. Funds are paid by Greater Good Charities to benefiting organizations as a grant. He fought and distinquished himself in Vietnam. 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. Vietnam), evaded for two weeks with a banged up leg and his right arm broken in three places. Share with Us. 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 This picture is taken probably by the end of the war when really young and old citizens were enlisted for soldiers. The link to . 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. The Viet Cong built drain pipe ventilation shafts every 20 to 30 meters at an oblique angle to prevent flooding. Alternate title, "Dating on tinder when you're 5'11" or shorter". In 1980, recognizing the cruelty of such devices, the Geneva Convention banned them as weaponry. 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. Because of this, they often targeted their legs instead. 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. 22. Special forces officer with a great deal of success. BTS will be on hiatus until all seven members complete their mandatory military service in South Korea. They have given so much and suffered so much. He also fell below the Army's weight requirement of 100 pounds. Although the percent who died is similar to other wars, amputations or crippling wounds were 300 percent higher than in World War II. He began to eat and stay in fighting shape, as he was an avid sportsman in high school, especially good at martial arts. or anything. 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 . He was often mistaken as a freshman when he was a senior. A young man emerging from his journey in a Viet Cong tunnel. Finally, some of the unique training centers would provide tunnel system replicas. The 'Hanoi Hilton' Is No Trump Hotel. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. He was discharged in October 1971 as a Captain. I Spent Seven Years as a Vietnam POW. He was the shortest US serviceman in history. The unknown soldier from the Vietnam War who was buried in the Tomb of the Unknowns was authorized a Medal of Honor and in 1998 was identified as 1st Lieutenant Michael Blassie. The exact figure, however, remains unknown as there were no extensive records kept on this exact type of engagement with the enemy. To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. He was the shortest US serviceman in history. This network connected villages, cities, and districts. Read on to learn about the crazy booby traps soldiers faced, the creepy crawlies they encountered, and the damaging psychological consequences of such close combat. After this, he refused to ever go into a tunnel again. How can we help? We offer our condolences to his family and to his friends. Yuzuk used his own funds and a crowdsourcing campaign to produce The Giant Killer, an 80-minute documentary available on Amazon Prime and iTunes, released late last year. According to an article in the Stamford Advocate, Flahertys body was found by two joggers. The Giant Killer is available on Amazon Prime and iTunes. Still, his skills, tenacity, and leadership can tear down an entire enemys. Richard Flaherty, was certainly a standout. He becomes a mystery to family and friends alike. 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. 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. Nobody ever knew where these guys were coming from they pointed out in jungle school that there was a tunnel system we had numerous tunnel rats, but we never knew exactly where or how extensive or where the entrance was. 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. The Veterans Site asks that you take a moment out of your day to consider donating to help house homeless veterans. During his first tour in Vietnam, Flaherty is placed in command of the Airborne's Delta Platoon. In 1967, Flaherty attended Army Officer Candidate School (OCS) and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the infantry and assigned to the 101st Airborne Division. Captured U.S. pilot major Dewey Waddell is guarded by a militiawoman with a gun and a bayonet on a rice field. They became known as some special forces who skied into battle against enemy forces. 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. It has a rating of 7.4 on IMDb. 1968 was a tumultuous year for service members in Vietnam. 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. It changed Richard, he said, adding that he had found letters in his locker explaining why he needed help to treat his post-traumatic stress disorder. After a while, whenever Id see him, Id give him a little head nod and hed do the same. Richard Flaherty was just a kid I knew briefly in high school. Flaherty was 2 inches too short and 6 lb. But then everything we know about him gets lost in a blur of fragmentary vignettes. Reads: 47 Comments: 1. . Some tunnel rats were also fortunate enough to take part in Combat Engineer Advanced Individual Training. Postal Service. It is here that his story begins to take many twists and turns. A marker has been ordered for his grave and is expected to be placed early next year. Once the Viet Cong caught on to what was happening, they began to use the same soap the Americans used. 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. The War also claimed the lives of approximately 200,000 allied soldiers in Vietnam, nearly one million North Vietnamese/ Communist allied deaths . He also discovered that, while homeless, Flaherty was secretly traveling to places like Jordan, Iraq, Thailand, Vietnam and Venezuela. Get your SPECIAL OFFER for MagellanTV here: https://try.magellantv.com/simplehistory. Current standards for men is 60-80 inches tall. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism Equally, these countries failed to understand how difficult it would be to detect and neutralize such networks. Flaherty was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant after attending Infantry Officer Candidate School on 31 August 1967. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Press J to jump to the feed. With Harvey Arango, Ernie Bourcier, Jeff Burns, Carl Cain. 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. Threats of harming another It has been well-documented in epidemiology studies . A lot of the time, other soldiers thought these volunteers also had to be a certain type of crazy. He would also earn two Bronze Stars, a Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and five Purple Hearts during his two tours in the Nam. This is similar to the selection effect of underwriting requirement provision in the insurance industries. By the time RichardFlaherty graduated from high school in 1966, the US was already heavily involved in Vietnam. They helped conduct military operations on behalf of communist forces. By 1990, he was homeless and living on the streets of Aventura, Florida. It included an article about Flahertys tragic death in Aventura, Florida. Lance Corporal Robert A. Bishop explores a Viet Cong tunnel complex found by Leathernecks of the 2d Battalion, 26th Marines. 11 talking about this. If they hesitated at all, it is highly likely they would be the ones to die in such close confines. He met Flaherty as a homeless man in 2000. The soldiers then camouflaged the pit using natural undergrowth, mud, or crops. Two inches thick, each plank . The stakes would then spear any soldier that fell into the pit. But it wasnt until 2015 that Flaherty first spoke of his time as a platoon leader and Green Beret in Vietnam. The primary focus of his time in the CIA was supplying the Nicaraguan Contras in Nicaragua. In 1968 he was sent to Vietnam in the famous 101st Airborne Division, the "Screaming Eagles". Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! 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. These homeless veterans deserve more from us. He wasnt flat-footed, he had no debilitating conditions, and he was an otherwise perfectly healthy young man. Richard J. Flaherty with two classmates at Officer Candidate School in 1967 (Photo: David Yuzuk / Laptrinhx.com ). One tunnel rat claimed that the booby traps and Viet Cong did not frighten them as much as encountering the local ants. This also allowed soldiers to help find and collect any wounded or dead comrades. The oldest man killed was 62 years old. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died in the war. Id known him for 15 years, and this was the first time he ever mentioned the military. Johns Hopkins University. Upon graduation he was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) as a Special Forces Operations Detachment A (SFODA) Commander in Company A of the 3rd SFG in Thailand. They are our brothers and sisters. But many of the soldiers who went were drafted into the service, ineligible for a student deferment because they had never been to college. Similarly, the bamboo whip was a very traumatic trap. person will not be tolerated. His size also meant he worked as a tunnel rat during his tour of duty, crawling through enemy tunnels to destroy them. It was if he was hardening himself up for some special task.. Some volunteered to go to Vietnam. He served as an A Detachment Commander and Liaison Officer. 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. Neither family, nor friends know why. Flaherty's Irish ancestry came from his grandfather Joseph Patrick Flaherty, born in Aran Islands and his grandmother Bridget Smythe, born in Feakle. Yuzuk started digging and discovered that Flaherty had worked undercover with the Feds during the 80s. Similarly, Operation Ceder Falls attempts to uncover and destroy the tunnel system. Click #isupportlocal for more information on supporting our local journalists. But he may have left me with more mysteries than Ill ever be able to solve.. Low near 45F. They harnessed their newfound abilities to help them with survival because unlike their enemies, they lacked experience in these small dark tunnels. Flahertys death made Yuzuks effort a lot harder, but he was undeterred. The healthy soldier/worker effect gradually subdued over time. Four-foot, nine-inch tall veteran Richard J. Flaherty claimed to be the shortest man ever to serve in the United States military. Somewhere along his path, Flaherty became homeless. What did we lose because we were unable to understand him, or to welcome him home? It was the result of his mothers rare blood type that left him vulnerable to oxygen deprivation as an infant. You had to be a minimum of 5 feet tall and weigh at least 100 lb. He returned to Vietnam in 1969 and was stationed there until 1971. If you look at all of the things the radio operators were tasked with, it becomes abundantly . 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. The Viet Cong also made use of explosive booby traps and pressure detonated mines. As you may have guessed, life expectancy was low. On the other stood a 5ft 7in (170 . We'll send breaking news and news alerts to you as they happen! In most cases, tunnel rats were engineers, infantrymen, cavalry scouts, or chemical specialists. He had a few run-ins with the law before becoming a confidential informant for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Flaherty was killed on May 9, 2015 in a hit and run. Here we go: 1. You can check it out here. Vietnam War. Using this tactic, they added yellow dye to the water to enable aerial observers to spot any entrances that ground troops had missed. For his leadership and heroism, he was awarded the Silver Star. This way, they smelled the same as the GIs and the dogs became unable to locate the enemy. A particular Special Forces member, Capt. Marine Corps: (Accession and Regular Standards) Male - 18%. 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 . 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. Answer (1 of 17): I didn't serve in Vietnam. 58,169 were killed and 304,000 wounded out of 2.59 million who served. . Short in size he might have been, but short in courage he wasnt. After Flahertys death, Yuzuk kept digging, researching, and confirming. 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. Shortest US soldier in Vietnam War was not short in courage. Initially, America used hunting dogs to locate the enemy. Another particularly horrific tactic became known as the spike ball or the mace. A Soldier's Thoughts. Females have other settings, but still, they're also not allowed when not being tall enough). 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. He came home from Vietnam after his second tour and moved to Hallandale, Florida, where he worked for a time with the U.S. On January 27, 1973, the Paris Peace Accords were signed, officially bringing to an end the American war in Vietnam. Flaherty was tasked with training the Royal Thai Army in counterinsurgency, in preparation for being sent to Vietnam. He went back to Southeast Asia with the 46th Special Forces Company as a Special Forces Operational Detachment A (SFODA) commander. Approximately 2.7 million American men and women served in Vietnam. 75,000 Vietnam veterans are severely disabled. The two maintained a long friendship. Giant Killers are among us-- author David Yuzuk walked with one and returned with this tale." Once in, he was able to qualify both for Special Forces training and for Officer Candidate School (OCS). What we do know comes to us from a Hallandale police officer, David Yuzuk. A colleague dragged him out before he grabbed a frag and threw it into the hole too. High 64F. Since tunnel rats extensively used explosives to collapse tunnel entrances and destroy what they found inside, combat training was particularly valuable. She also worked as a teaching assistant in the History Department. His unit in the 101st was ambushed as it passed a hidden North Vietnamese bunker. What's the minimum requirement in the US army today? This would-be Captain America was just 49, three inches too short for Army service. Major Nguyen Quot, an officer that spent ten years in these tunnels, notes that by 1948 they already dug a tunnel system: each family, each hamlet, had a tunnel communicating it with others. We had built the runway surface with 2 ft by 12 ft Marston Mat aluminum planks with interlocking grooves along each edge. He was later reassigned to the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. Even if they could deal with the claustrophobic conditions, air and artillery support had not prepared them for the type of old-fashioned combat that relied on savage behavior, individual strength, guts, and cunningness. . Be Nice. If the stakes pointed downwards, soldiers became unable to remove their limbs without causing severe damage. When you used to stack bodies, but your 15 yo great grandson keeps calling you "Piper Perri" and you don't know why. Copyright 2023 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. Overall, tunnel rat soldiers received little, if any, specific training. When he graduated high school in 1966, the 4-foot-9-inch man was 3 inches under the Army's height requirement. Flaherty was killed during a hit and run attack on May 9, 2015, in Miami. 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. His only problem was that he stood four feet, nine inches tall. U.S. involvement in the Southeast Asian country had more than doubled from 1965. Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don't miss out on updates. 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. I didnt believe him at first, Yuzuk recalled. Images of firefights, bloodied U.S. soldiers and body bags were seen nightly on network television, along with scorecard-like tallies of the number of American and enemy soldiers killed in action. It helped give them the experience and confidence to cope with gas, should they encounter it in combat. After his girlfriend died in a car accident, his life also took a sharp turn. Overall, the Vietnamese were very quick to restore damages and continue as if nothing happened. Finally, this list will look at how successful these attempts were in the grand scheme of things. Network news was filled with the stories of young men dying in combat to stem the spread of Communism to South Vietnam. On March 26, 1964, the first U.S. service member imprisoned during the Vietnam War was captured near Qung Tr, South Vietnam when an L-19/O-1 Bird Dog observation plane flown by Captain Richard L. Whitesides and Captain Floyd James Thompson was brought down by small arms fire. Similar to the feed according to an article in the US Army Today our condolences to his and... 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