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Who were the "Tunnel Rats" in the Viet Nam war?

JeffWyatt

Hi, my dad just passed away and an ex cop  partner of his told us my dad was a "Tunnel Rat" during the war

My dad only mentioned a couple of vague hand to hand combat situations he and his guys got into but never mentioned anything about being a Tunnel Rat. 

Any informa to ion and/or confirmation would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jeff

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    Jeff,

    One aspect of the Vietnam War that contributed to the difficulty in defeating the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army was their extensive use of tunnels and underground fortifications to avoid losses to massive American firepower.  Both the VC and NVA built tunnel complexes when the terrain was suitable, the most infamous example being the extensive tunnels around the village of Cu Chi, near several bases of the 1st Infantry Division.  

    The existence of the tunnels in many regions of South Vietnam required Army and Marine units to develop a capability to fight underground.  They organized makeshift units made up of volunteers, necessarily men of small stature, to go into the tunnels to confront the enemy.  There have been accounts of firefights in the dark, and if American forces prevailed, they would destroy as much of the underground complex as possible with explosives.  There was a scene in the 1986 film Platoon that can give you a small idea what tunnel warfare looked like.

    In terms of formal military organizations, tunnel rats got their start in the Chemical Platoon of the 1st Infantry Division.  The Division’s Chemical Officer, CAPT Herbert Thornton, organized a squad within the Chemical Platoon to fight in the tunnels beginning in 1966.  The following year the division transferred tunnel rat duties to the 1st Engineer Battalion, as demolition was an important task in tunnel warfare.  The engineers formed teams of a dozen volunteers under the command of a non-commissioned officer or junior officer for the tunnel rat role.  The 1st Infantry Division created the most formal tunnel rat organization; however, any infantry unit that encountered tunnels would have their own tunnel rats, if only for a short time.

    I hope you find this information helpful.

    A. J.

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    The best book on the Tunnel Rats is "The Tunnels of Cu Chi." Although the 1st Infantry Division may have been there first, that base was turned over to the 25th Infantry Division. And if you go to Vietnam today, the Vietnamese will proudly give you tours of parts of the tunnels (enlarged to make it comfy for the tourists).

    https://www.worldcat.org/title/842887614?oclcNum=842887614

    The truth is that there were tunnels everywhere in Vietnam that the water table allowed it. So just about every combat unit would have some sort of group of "Tunnel Rats." They were generally thin, wiry, and without fear. It was strictly voluntary, and if you ever lost your edge, you were pulled out of it.

    And here are some pictures of Tunnel Rats at work:

    Amazing Pictures of Tunnel Rats: The Warriors Who Infiltrated Underground Tunnels In The Vietnam War | War History Online

  • 0

     

    Thank you for posting your question on History Hub!

    It looks like our community members have responded to your inquiry and provided you with background information on the Tunnel Rat groups during the Vietnam War.

    We invite you to continue the conversation with community members on History Hub, but should you have follow up questions for the staff at Archives II or would like more information available records from the 1st Infantry Division or other divisions, please email us at archives2reference@nara.gov so that we can assist you further. 

    We hope this assists you with your research! 

    Sincerely,

    Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR)

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