Why Vietnam War TUNNEL RAT Job Was so DEADLY

During the Vietnam war, Americans had to adapt to the Viet Cong's guerilla and trench warfare styles, and thus the Tunnel Rats were born! Check out today's video to see how deadly the life of a tunnel rat was, from avoiding and detecting land mines, to knife fights inside the tunnels! You don't want to miss this insane story of the tunnel rats! Watch this special animated history episode!

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[DutchFurnace]

"We need new tunnel rats"
500 dudes start furiously lifting weights. "Sorry too big."

[LightskinBanditGaming]

when you sneeze in vietnam and the trees say bless you

[docautrisim]

When I was kid I cut grass for a guy that was tunnel rat. I was aware what the job was and how dangerous it was from reading. In my youthful ignorance I asked the man what it was like. His response, I still remember over 25 years later: “I dunno man, I was high the whole time.”
Its still the most Vietnam vet thing I’ve ever heard.

[jayhoang]

I am Vietnamese and my grandfather was farmer and working in the planing and strategy of the tunnel system and designing amount of differnt traps. The stories that he told me is just simply unforgetable.

[sora]

I'm a Vietnamese and I visited those tunnels back when I was a student. The tunnel was very small so, even as a skinny kid, even I was scared of getting stuck down there. I can't imagine how scary it is being a tunnel rat, just the thought of getting stuck and knowing that you are in enemy's territory terrifies me.
Hopefully no more war so no one have to suffer like people of the past did 🙏

[domokuo]

Seeing these tunnels in real life is terrifying, the traps they made are scarier and more complex at the actual site

[rcangelanddemon]

My wife’s father was a tunnel rat and was a marine and came out unharmed and he was just this amazing man to be around and hear stories about he has past now but we visit his grave every year to thank him and pay our respects

[thyra_UK]

My dad was a tunnel rat with the Australian army, he never talked about his time in Vietnam and it wasn't until I was in my 30s that I even found out he was in Vietnam.
He then only told me a couple of stories . I have pictures of him though from when he was there. This made me understand more why he never spoke of it. My dad was a very brave man. I miss him loads.

[borb]

This is like all my fears put into one. Can’t even imagine.

[breeannramsey]

My father was a tunnel rat. He just passed away in December. He never talked about what happened in war and kept his trauma to himself. It wasn't till the last few months that I found out he was one. I wish he would have talked about it more. He suffered severe ptsd, complications from agent orange, shrapnel on the back of his legs. In the end he was diagnosed as severe bi polar with delusions. RIP dad ❤

[CHAOS]

Some corrections to inaccuracies:

-Flashlights weren't used by the best rats because it gave away your position. So they would crawl in blind using knife or hands to feel the tunnel in front of them.
-The revolver was the preferred weapon because it didn't jam - hence the 3 shot rule he talked about. If you fire more than 3 shots the enemy knew how many shots you had left in your revolver. Also they avoided using it because it would deafen you.
-The tunnels were mostly impervious to gas as well, because they would build U-traps filled with water - like how a toilet or sink plumbing works.

[jaske]

"CW Bowman is gone and he's not coming back." that man sacrified himself to save two of the best soldiers i've ever seen in my entire life.

[ryanandres]

I worked with an older man at a dealership that was very short, his nickname was Shorty. I really respected him as a person, he sadly passed one day, and when we helped clear out his apartment we found a bronze star, he never once mentioned he was in the service. Come to find out he was a tunnel rat, so seeing this video brings back soo many great memories of Shorty.

[mingi]

“Revolver and flashlight”

*Has a flashback to the BO1 campaign mission*

[darlenebarksdale]

My husband was 5’3”. He was drafted in Vietnam war. He weighed 115 lbs. they made him go in the tunnels once. He said they could put him in stockade but would never go in the tunnels again. He won two bronze stars for his bravery. Said the tunnels were what nightmares were made of

[AverytheCubanAmerican]

Those that fought in that war gone through so much. The Viet Cong tunnel system is mind blowing

[vooshe]

This reminds me of the the COD Black Ops mission where you actually head down into a rat tunnel. It was terrifying to see some enemies pop out unexpectedly with Aks.

[Hell-yeah.]

My childhood neighbor was one he would tell me his horrific stories. Youre a brave man, Phill

[FreeformThoughts]

I know the feeling when they said, somebody's gotta do it. I was that someone in Iraq. When he mentioned that 33% I think the scariest moments weren't even the mission itself on patrols, it was in the intel briefings that we had to go back and tell our troops concerning the mission we are about to do. They use to tell us high fatality rates and when you relay this information to the men, everyone is looking at each other thinking....some of us wont make it back. I can't even describe the anticipation and uneasiness that everyone felt at that moment. You have to tell young kids this who enlisted and havent even drunk their first beer or voted yet. Still gives me nightmares to this day. Shout out to the servicemen and women who do the jobs a lot of people wouldn't do!

[iskog.]

"Only 12 Tunnel Rats survived to go back home" Everyone's dad/uncle/neighbor in the comments: