It was the result of his mothers rare blood type that left him vulnerable to oxygen deprivation as an infant. 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 another as a Green Beret captain, lies at rest in an as-yet unmarked grave in a Milton cemetery. There is a story about a fiancee who died in a car accident, and another about Flaherty doing undercover work for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). A life warrior. This also allowed soldiers to help find and collect any wounded or dead comrades. Vietnam-era Radiomen life expectancy was 5 seconds. . We offer our condolences to his family and to his friends. Millions of Americans and tens of thousands of veterans and soldiers opposed the war in Vietnam. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. 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. Some of us may have known Richard Flaherty only because of his small size. Not only was he the shortest Green Beret to serve in Vietnam, he was also the shortest US serviceman in history. Whitesides was killed, and Thompson was taken prisoner; he would ultimately spend just short . But due to the Vietnam draft they would have likely taken him anyway if that was his only disqualifier from serving. The primary focus of his time in the CIA was supplying the Nicaraguan Contras in Nicaragua. After a few brushes with law enforcement, Flaherty reportedly worked as a confidential informant for the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in the early 1980s before becoming homeless in Aventura by 1990. Use the 'Report' link on Similarly, the bamboo whip was a very traumatic trap. Flaherty was on his way. Soldier in Vietnam War was the Army's Badass Combatant . You see, he was so light, everyone would watch to see which way the wind would take him, so that they would not lose him. Capt. Lots of tunnel rats used the standard-issue colt. Flaherty then called for a 90 millimeter recoilless rifle a shoulder-mounted explosive projectile launcher initially designed to destroy tanks to be brought to his position, and from there, led its two-man crew on an assault of the North Vietnamese bunker. Join IrishCentrals Book Club on Facebook and enjoy our book-loving community. Communications, public relations, and marketing professional, and content creator during free time. By 1990, he was homeless and living on the streets of Aventura, Florida. An example of a classic punji booby trap. Retired, David enjoys writing, walking on hikes, and spending time with his dog Simon. Flaherty began to open up and talk to Yuzuk about his life only a few weeks before his tragic and lonely death as a hit-and-run victim last May. Standing at 4 feet, 11 inches, Popoca may be the shortest Soldier during missions, but she has a "tiny but mighty" mindset, she said. The openings to these tunnels were very small and those tunnel rats who went into them did so armed only with a flashlight, a K-bar (knife), and a .45 pistol. Got the VC screaming "we said no Oddjob! The Viet Cong used this to their advantage to scare, and even kill, American soldiers. Neither family, nor friends know why. What we do know comes to us from a Hallandale police officer, David Yuzuk. After completing basic training, Richard Flaherty qualified for Infantry Officer Candidate School, earning the rank of second lieutenant. Send the smallest soldier to clear the VC ratholes. The Central Intelligence Agency recruited him in the late 1970s due to his knowledge of Intelligence. Photo credit: Pinterest. Soldiers who are not fluent in another language will attend six to 18 months at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) prior to AIT. The Viet Cong were experts at creating very sophisticated tunnel systems that would sometimes be so large that they could be used as company-sized staging areas for hiding and for rest, even for hospital facilities. Similarly, one soldier recalls how an encounter with the biggest rat he had ever seen led him to continually fire his gun. Naturally, their opponents were equally as skilled in this department and so tunnel rat soldiers were careful not to clean too much, or use certain products in case their enemies smelled them coming. You have permission to edit this article. Soldiers learned to carefully probe the sides, roof, and floor of the tunnels attentively listening and trying to smell the enemy or look for trap doors. With a passion for historical learning and historical education, her writing interests include social history, and war history, especially researching obscure facts about the Second World War. We just didnt know. He returned to Southeast Asia in 1969 and remained there until 1971 when he left the Army. Start Reading. One battalion also found an underground complex that covered 2,000 meters and yielded cameras, films, printing presses, and type, in addition to the usual cache of weapons and ammunition. Shockingly, a US soldier even uncovered a missing M-48 tank buried six feet deep; the Viet Cong were using it as a command center. As a student, she worked in a variety of research positions, including as an archivist. In the 1940s and 1950s, the Vietnamese expanded these tunnels to hide nationalist guerrillas known as the Viet Ming. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died in the war. And there was more; he was homeless. He wasnt flat-footed, he had no debilitating conditions, and he was an otherwise perfectly healthy young man. Copyright 2023 Irish Studio LLC All rights reserved. Yuzuk came to know Richard Flaherty, not just as a homeless man, but as a man of intelligence and goodness. Photo credit: The Chive. According to an article in the Stamford Advocate, Flahertys body was found by two joggers. Flaherty was 2 inches too short and 6 lb. 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. You were a mighty man. He stood three inches below the height cutoff for enlistment and was barely 100 pounds. In 1968 he was sent to Vietnam in the famous 101st Airborne Division, the "Screaming Eagles". He graduated the year before me from Stamford Catholic High School, now known as Trinity Catholic High school. He did time in prison for drugs but was that a cover or a real conviction? Col. Floyd J. Thompson, who endured nearly nine years of torture, disease and starvation in Vietnam as the longest-held prisoner of war in American history, has died. [3], He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division during his first tour to Vietnam in 1968 during the Vietnam War. Though this article will explore specific examples later, these traps were particularly brutal in the tunnels. He first deployed to Southeast Asia in 1968 as a member of the 101st Airborne Division. That month, his platoon came under heavy automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fire from a North Vietnamese Army force. Flaherty attended Infantry Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a 2Lt on August 31, 1967. His Silver Star citation offers a brief glimpse to Flaherty, the man. When he graduated high school in 1966, the 4-foot-9-inch man . He served as an SFODA Commander in companies A and B. Photo credit: Funker360. Infantry Advanced Individual Training also helped them to deal more in-depth with other issues. The army sent in tunnel rat soldiers with the aim of locating the enemy, finding their resources, and cutting off their supplies. Yet, both of these tactics were not as successful as they hoped. In 1966, the Army issued six tunnel-exploration tester kits. We won't share it with anyone else. Released in 1973. After his tour in Vietnam, he returned to the U.S. and attended the Special Forces Officer Course at Fort Bragg. Richard J. Flaherty with two classmates at Officer Candidate School in 1967 (Photo: David Yuzuk / Laptrinhx.com ). world war ii. When the soldier triggered the tripwire, foot-long spikes placed all over a long bamboo pole catapulted into the soldiers face and chest at a rapid speed. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Press J to jump to the feed. It was also the most expensive and deadliest year of the war. Many American men were trying to avoid serving the U.S. military in the 1960s and 1970s. The War also claimed the lives of approximately 200,000 allied soldiers in Vietnam, nearly one million North Vietnamese/ Communist allied deaths, and an incomprehensible number of civilians. In fact, volunteers boasted of their ability to change flashlights in pitch black without realizing the damaging consequences of this. that is degrading to another person. The following year, 1971, he was discharged from active duty and transferred to the Army Reserves, where he served until 1983. The documentary is supposed to come out sometime this year and I have included a trailer for it here. 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. Upon enlisting, Richard became the shortest soldier in US military history. Naturally, there were only first chances, never second, so some simply killed as they had to. saigon 1975. army soldier. 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. Richard James Flaherty (November 28, 1945 May 9, 2015) was a captain in the United States Army who served in the Vietnam War.Due to his small stature (he was just 4 feet 9 inches (1.45 m) tall), he was known as "The Giant Killer". But due to the Vietnam draft they would have likely taken him anyway if that was his only disqualifier from serving. Using this tactic, they added yellow dye to the water to enable aerial observers to spot any entrances that ground troops had missed. After completing basic training, he qualified for Officer Candidate School, from which he graduated as a second lieutenant, before receiving orders sending him to Vietnam. One Viet Cong technique was to slit a mans throat or garrotte him as he came up through a connecting trap door; this often did not phase the men. It has been well-documented in epidemiology studies . He was awarded a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts. This is a dangerous condition that can lead to serious complications for the fetus or even death. Here, leaders forced soldiers into specific chambers and made to recite their name, rank, and service number. He met Flaherty as a homeless man in 2000. Richard Flaherty returned from war and studied at the University of Miami in Florida. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, MIGHTY NETWORKS, 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Mandalorian recap before Season 3: Everything you need to know, serving the U.S. military in the 1960s and 1970s, He returned to the U.S. that same year to attend the Army Special warfare School. He used to spend all day at a movie theater. That medically makes you a dwarf (little person). The first point to keep in mind is that there was a lot of "tail" in Vietnam. Yuzuk said none of the relatives or companions of Flaherty or Anness he has spoken with was aware of a relationship between the two. He showed his fearsome warrior spirit during the Vietnam War, and later entered the roster of the Army's elite task . . Photo credit: The New York Times. He came home from Vietnam after his second tour and moved to Hallandale, Florida, where he worked for a time with the U.S. You just backed out and told them up above the tunnel was cold.. In many ways, Yuzuk became Flahertys friend. Marines who score 250 or higher on BOTH the PFT and CFT are given an additional 1 percent body fat. I Spent Seven Years as a Vietnam POW. * Born and raised in Brooklyn N.Y., David Yuzuk attended the University of Stony Brook on a football scholarship. Postal Service. Related: How to make it through Special Forces selection. John Zander in Chu Lai, Vietnam in 1965. During the war, more than 58,000 servicemen and women lost their lives. While it covered a lot of the same things as infantry training, it focused more on map reading, knot-tying, navigation, use of hand and power tools, camouflage, constructing barbed-wire obstacles, mine laying, and mine detection. Richard J. Flaherty may never be known. A Soldier's Thoughts. or anything. He was expected to only grow to the height of 4 7 but Richard proved them wrong as he grew to 4 9.. Imagine being stuck in a tiny space, panicking, screaming, and trying to escape as a snake slowly wound itself around you. After 15 years of friendship, Flaherty finally confessed, Its time I tell you who I really am. Only 10 days later Flaherty would be killed in a bizarre hit and run. lkunl/Shutterstock. 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. After all, it was a very stressful and dangerous job. In most cases, tunnel rats were engineers, infantrymen, cavalry scouts, or chemical specialists. Flaherty enlisted late that year. Flaherty was unfazed by the criticism he continued to receive throughout his life. However, he was eventually arrested for possession of gun silencers and removed from the agency. Lauri Trni (Larry Thorne) in his three military uniforms. U.S. Air Force pararescuemen and a simulated 'survivor' watch as an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter comes in for a landing. It has a rating of 7.4 on IMDb. He was the shortest US serviceman in history. Flaherty's Irish ancestry came from his grandfather Joseph Patrick Flaherty, born in Aran Islands and his grandmother Bridget Smythe, born in Feakle. 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. Between February and March 1973, 591 American servicemen were released by the North Vietnamese. He came home from Vietnam after his second tour and moved to Hallandale, Florida, where he worked for a time with the U.S. Comprised of 12 Special Forces soldiers, an ODA can operate independently behind enemy lines for long periods of time without supervision. Flaherty was killed on May 9, 2015 in a hit and run. He eraned the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, and 2 Purple Hearts -smallestsoldier.com . To avoid running into issues, tunnel rats remained very cautious of the number of shots they fired. His height was no object, however, and he put . These soldiers made punji stakes out of heated and sharpened wood or bamboo. They are our brothers and sisters. 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