Skip to content

featuring historical research, writing, and media at st. mary's university

  • World History

    World History

    Menu
    • World History
    • Pre-Classical History (to 600 BCE)
    • Classical History (600 BCE-600 CE)
    • Post-Classical History (600 CE-1492 CE)
    • Early Modern History (1492-1789)
    • Modern History (1789-1914)
    • Global History (1900-present)

    From the Ancient World

    The Battle of Zama: Rome's Vengeance

    Posted by Davis Nickle12/01/2020

    From the Modern World

    The Holy See Takes On The Fight Against Climate Change

    Posted by Victor Rodriguez11/30/2020

    Regional Histories

    Menu
    • African and African American Studies
    • Latin American Studies
  • US History

    Early America

    Menu
    • US-Three Worlds Meet (to 1620)
    • US-Colonization and Settlement (1585-1763)
    • US-Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820s)
    • US-Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)
    • US-Civil War & Reconstruction (1850-1877)

    Bonnie and Clyde's Darkest Hour

    Posted by Sebastian Portilla11/15/2019

    Calculating the Death of Learning

    Posted by Sabrina Doyon11/08/2019

    From Child to Commodore: How Cornelius Vanderbilt Became The Commodore

    Posted by Aaron Sandoval05/04/2020

    The Miracle on the Hudson: The 208 Seconds That Defined Captain "Sully" Sullenberger's Career

    Posted by Emmett Pena11/19/2020

    Excelsior!!! To The King of Comic Books

    Posted by Eliezer Leal10/25/2019

    Jaime Cuervo: La Opresión Ignorada Del Latinoamericano

    Posted by Matthew Bennett11/25/2020

    Netflix - The Beginning of the Future of Entertainment

    Posted by Amanda Shoemaker04/26/2020

    San Antonio Royalty: The Reign of the Chili Queen

    Posted by Sara Ramirez04/07/2019

    RuPaul's Influence On Drag: You Better Work!

    Posted by Nadia Carrasco04/07/2019

    There's No Place Like Home, In Hollywood: The Story Behind Judy Garland

    Posted by Audrey Uribe10/31/2019

    Perseverance in Preservation: The Hundred-year Historical Development of Woodlawn Lake Park

    Posted by Mario Sosa05/13/2019

    Selena Gomez: Her Life Behind the Scenes

    Posted by Judy Reyes12/06/2019

    Soñar Como Sonia

    Posted by Kayla Sultemeier12/02/2020

    Fortnite and Video Game Violence

    Posted by Elizabeth Maguire12/08/2019

    The Eminem Show That You Don't Know

    Posted by Andres Cano05/08/2019

    Holly Ordway: Finding Her Way To Christ's Arms

    Posted by Samantha Bonillas11/15/2019

    The Inevitable Fall of Bernie Madoff’s $65 Billion Scheme

    Posted by Nicholas Burch12/02/2020

    Health at Every Size As a Means to Approach Obesity and Improve a Fat-phobic Society

    Posted by Vanessa Quetzeri12/01/2019

    Like a Virgin: Madonna's Road to Success

    Posted by Andrea Degollado11/14/2019

    Mendez v. Westminster: Planting the seed for Desegregation

    Posted by Erin Vento11/10/2020

    "An Absurd Delusion": Pride, Ignorance, and America's Deadliest Natural Disaster

    Posted by Kenneth Gilley10/06/2019

    Bryan Stevenson: Justice in the Deep South

    Posted by Bailey Godwin11/05/2020

    “I don't understand what you are saying, speak English.”: Tener un acento extranjero afecta la percepción.

    Posted by Lyzette Flores11/08/2020

    El Español y las Oportunidades Comerciales en EE. UU.

    Posted by Danielle Costly11/12/2020

    MS-13: Origin of the Most Dangerous Gang in the World

    Posted by Juliana Montoya03/06/2020

    Tulsa Massacre 1921: Buck Colbert Franklin in the Greenwood District

    Posted by Alicia Martinez11/05/2020

    When An Invisible Threat Took Over the World: COVID-19

    Posted by Aracely Beltran05/27/2020

    Fuel for His Pen: The Two Consecutive Plane Accidents of Ernest Hemingway

    Posted by Felipe Macias10/08/2019

    The Mysterious Death of David Crockett

    Posted by Kenneth Gilley12/13/2019

    ¿Inglés sin barreras? Cómo Contribuye el Lenguaje de Internet a la Brecha Digital

    Posted by Felicia Cruz11/10/2020

    Contemporary America

    Menu
    • US-Industrial United States (1870-1900)
    • US-Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)
    • US-Great Depression & WWII (1929-1945)
    • US-Postwar United States (1945-early 1970s)
    • US-Contemporary United States (1968-present)
  • Themes

    SPICE Categories

    Specialty Categories

    Special Themes

    Menu
    • Social History
    • Political History
    • Environmental History
    • Cultural History
    • Economic History
    Menu
    • Art History
    • Business
    • Crime
    • Gender Studies
    • Human Rights
    • Public Health and Medicine
    • International Relations
    • Linguistics
    Menu
    • Military History
    • Music
    • People
    • Psychology
    • Religion
    • Science & Technology
    • Sports
    Menu
    • Catholic Heritage
    • The Year 1968
    • COVID-19
    • Social Justice
    • Spanish Language
  • Showcase

    Showcase Editions

    • Vol 1 – 2016
      • Vol 1 No 1 Aug-Sep 2016
      • Vol 1 No 2 Oct-Nov 2016
    • Vol 2 – 2017
      • Vol 2 No 1 Jan-Feb 2017
      • Vol 2 No 2 Mar-Apr 2017
      • Vol 2 No 3 Aug-Sep 2017
      • Vol 2 No 4 Oct-Nov 2017
    • Vol 3 – 2018
      • Vol 3 No 1 Jan-Feb 2018
      • Vol 3 No 2 Mar-Apr 2018
      • Vol 3 No 3 Aug-Sep 2018
      • Vol 3 No 4 Oct-Nov 2018
    • Vol 4 – 2019
      • Vol 4 No 1 Jan-Feb 2019
      • Vol 4 No 2 Mar-Apr 2019
      • Vol 4 No 3 Aug-Sep 2019
      • Vol 4 No 4 Oct-Nov 2019
    • Vol 5 – 2020
      • Vol 5 No 1 Jan-Feb 2020
      • Vol 5 No 2 Mar-Apr 2020
      • Vol 5 No 3 Aug-Sep 2020
    Menu
    • Vol 1 – 2016
      • Vol 1 No 1 Aug-Sep 2016
      • Vol 1 No 2 Oct-Nov 2016
    • Vol 2 – 2017
      • Vol 2 No 1 Jan-Feb 2017
      • Vol 2 No 2 Mar-Apr 2017
      • Vol 2 No 3 Aug-Sep 2017
      • Vol 2 No 4 Oct-Nov 2017
    • Vol 3 – 2018
      • Vol 3 No 1 Jan-Feb 2018
      • Vol 3 No 2 Mar-Apr 2018
      • Vol 3 No 3 Aug-Sep 2018
      • Vol 3 No 4 Oct-Nov 2018
    • Vol 4 – 2019
      • Vol 4 No 1 Jan-Feb 2019
      • Vol 4 No 2 Mar-Apr 2019
      • Vol 4 No 3 Aug-Sep 2019
      • Vol 4 No 4 Oct-Nov 2019
    • Vol 5 – 2020
      • Vol 5 No 1 Jan-Feb 2020
      • Vol 5 No 2 Mar-Apr 2020
      • Vol 5 No 3 Aug-Sep 2020
  • About

    Course Readings

    Article Indexes

    About Us

    Menu
    • Course Readings – SC 3300 – Nash
    • Course Readings – SMC 1301 – Wieck
    • Course Readings – PO 4334 – Dr Celine
    • Course Readings _ PO 3365 – Dr Celine
    Menu
    • Course Readings – HS 2321 – Whitener
    • Course Readings – HS 2322 – Whitener
    • Course Readings – SMC 1301 – Whitener
    Menu
    • Our Article/Author Index
    • Award Winning Articles
    Menu
    • Our StMU History Media Project
    • Our Faculty Consultants
    • Our Writers
    • Contact Us
  • Descriptive Article, Military History, United States History
  • April 28, 2017

Down and Dirty: the Tunnel Rats of Vietnam

Photograph taken April 24, 1967 | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Photograph taken April 24, 1967 | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Nelson Smithwick

Nelson Smithwick

If you ever see a flashlight coming your way, you can fire away, but more than likely, you are already a dead man.1

January 7, 1966. The war in Vietnam was raging and the United States had only just begun sending regular combat units as opposed to advisers the year prior. President Lyndon Baines Johnson was steadily escalating the United States’ involvement in Vietnam in an effort to “combat communism.” Eight thousand men descend on a freshly bombed area, hoping to clean up the remnants of Viet Cong in a search and destroy operation. However, when they approached the bombed area, known as the Ho Bo woods, they found nothing but empty fortifications and some rice, evidence that there were once many more men there. The leaders of the Joint American-Australian force were stumped. Where could the Viet Cong have gone?2

Group of tunnel rats prepare to place satchel charges in the mouth of a tunnel | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

They received their answer when one young American soldier sat down to rest, then began exclaiming that he had been stung or bitten on his nether regions. As he began to search for the offending creature, he discovered that what had “stung” him was a nail, protruding from a wooden hatch. This hatch covered a massive underground complex known as the Cu Chi tunnels, spanning some fourteen miles; and this was only one of many tunnel complexes in South and North Vietnam.3 The presence of these tunnels meant that future search and destroy operations would be failures as well, if the tunnels were not dealt with. These tunnels gave the Viet Cong a way to attack U.S. troops from behind, after they had passed overhead; then they could quickly slip back into their tunnels and seemingly vanish. The tunnels also allowed them to hide during bombing runs and as American tanks and helicopters flew by, effectively hiding them from the brunt of American military might. The tunnels could be destroyed using explosives, but these tunnels housed barracks, ammunition and food depots, hospitals, clinics, armories, and rooms with vital military intelligence. These things were often too deep in the tunnels to be destroyed by a blast at the mouth of the tunnel, as the Viet Cong designed their tunnels so that blasts could only destroy small segments. The tunnels were very well made, with sharp right angles every few meters to baffle the blast of an explosive charge, and they had breathing holes dug by taking rabbits and gophers to the bottom of a tunnel and letting them dig themselves back to the surface.  After several attempts using tear gas, Acetylene gas, and explosives to flush out the tunnels failed, a new plan emerged. Someone would have to enter the tunnels.4

And thus, the “tunnel rats” were born. These were men, generally small in stature to better fit the small tunnels designed for the smaller Vietnamese physique, and without fear of tight spaces or total darkness, although these are things many tunnel rats would develop after their time in the underground complexes. Armed with nothing more than a flashlight, which was hardly ever used for fear it would alert Viet Cong to the Tunnel rat’s location, a handgun, and a combat knife, sometimes wearing a battery-powered headset, connected to a long cable to let them relay information back to their comrades waiting at the mouth of the tunnel, these men would be lowered into a tunnel, and begin their search.5 Originally made up of men from the famous “Big Red One” 1st Infantry Division present at the original discovery of the Cu Chi tunnels, “tunnel rats” became an unofficial description for someone who had volunteered for this job. This work was mentally and physically taxing, with many volunteers giving up the duty after a few runs, or in many cases, a close call with a Viet Cong soldier in the dark confines of a cave.6

Part of the reason it was such a loathed experience was due to how dangerous an ordeal exploring the tunnels was. If an American tunnel rat were to run into a Viet Cong soldier, the encounter would devolve into hand to hand combat, as firing one’s pistol was very dangerous in tunnels that were barely shoulder-width.7 Firing the large .45 caliber M1911A1 pistol one was issued would definitely lead to ruptured eardrums. This led many of these men to bring captured Vietnamese-used Russian pistols or guns brought from home that were of a smaller caliber–.22 and .38 caliber revolvers being particularly common–that could be more safely fired in the small confines of the tunnels.8

Sgt. Ronald A. Payne photographed while searching for Viet Cong, in tunnel in the Ho Bo woods. Progress was slow in such cramped conditions. Taken by Robert C. Laffoon | Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The dangers did not end there either, as the tunnels were frequently booby-trapped, sometimes even with poisonous or venomous snakes and insects, or they had dangerous pits filled with water or gas designed to keep these things away from their living areas of the tunnels. The tunnels were frequently incredibly hot and humid, cramped, sometimes as small as 2.6 feet tall by 2.5 feet wide, and full of unpleasant stagnant air, prompting many tunnel rats to don gas masks in an attempt to make breathing easier.9 Even exiting a tunnel was not safe, as a tunnel rat could travel some distance while underground, then emerge elsewhere, potentially startling a nearby American soldier, which could lead to him being shot. Many tunnel rats would bring smoke grenades with them to use to alert any nearby troops that a friendly would be emerging from a tunnel.10 Because of these hardships, tunnel rats soon gained a reputation as being very courageous, smart, and incredibly lucky to escape a tunnel without dying, and the tunnel rats themselves began to use the motto “Non gratum anus rotendum” or “not worth a rat’s ass.”11

Even with these difficulties, the majority of tunnel rats were very successful. The tunnel rats of the 1st Infantry Division, the only one with any kind of formal training, was especially successful. Consisting of a number of men formally trained to enter the tunnels, radio operators to communicate with them, a medic and a pair of former Viet Cong who could act as translators, the team, led by Sargent Robert Woods, killed 3 Viet Cong soldiers and captured 153 more in a tunnel in August of 1968, just to name one of their most impressive raids. Outside of the formally trained 1st Infantry Division, the volunteer tunnel rats of other companies were sometimes successful as well, securing vital military intelligence, an enemy hospital, or sometimes stores of weapons; these captures accounted for a large portion of seized Viet Cong weapons.12

The tunnel rats where born out of necessity. The United States military had little experience with non-conventional warfare, and needed to adapt quickly to the guerrilla warfare employed by the Viet Cong. During the Vietnam War, even the Australian armed forces had their own “tunnel rats” whom they called “ferrets,” and with the Soviet war in Afghanistan in the 1980s, many Soviet soldiers faced similar hardships in the tunnels of the Mujahideen. Even today, the United States Marine Corps faces similar issues in fighting the Taliban in the cave-like “Kyareses,” or irrigation tunnels of Afghanistan.13 The tunnel rats of Vietnam were one of the first adaptations that the U.S. military made to prepare itself for a new type of warfare, unlike the conventional wars the U.S. had fought in before. But as the number of US casualties from Vietnam rose, American public opinion shifted from support to dissatisfaction, ultimately leading to the United States pulling out of Vietnam, but not before the United States military had learned valuable lessons about guerrilla warfare.

Army Staff Sgt. Xavier Bowie enters a tunnel to clear out any insurgents attempting to place bombs. U.S Army photo by Steven Clements | Courtesy of U.S Department of Defense Archive
  1. James Gillam, “Death dance in the dark: James Gillam’s most terrifying moments in Vietnam came in the pitch-black darkness of an enemy tunnel,” Vietnam, 2011., 52, Academic OneFile, EBSCOhost ↵
  2.  Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History, 2011, s.v. “CRIMP Operation,” by Chris Tomas. ↵
  3. Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History, 2011, s.v. “CRIMP Operation,” by Chris Tomas. ↵
  4. Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History, 2011, s.v. “Cu Chi Tunnels,” by Richard D. Starnes; “South Viet Nam: The Tunnel Rats,” Time, March 4, 1966. ↵
  5. Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History, 2011, s.v. “Tunnel Rats,” by James T. Gillam. ↵
  6. Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History, 2011, s.v. “Tunnel Rats,” by James T. Gillam. ↵
  7. “I’m not alone down here!” Vietnam, September/October 2015, 42. ↵
  8. “South Viet Nam: The Tunnel Rats.” Time, March 4, 1966. ↵
  9. Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History, 2011, s.v. “Tunnels,” by Scott R. Demarco. ↵
  10. “I’m not alone down here!” Vietnam, September/October 2015, 42. ↵
  11. George C. Herring, “Vietnam Remembered,” The Journal of American History 73, no. 1 (1986): 152-64; Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History, 2011, s.v. “Tunnel Rats,” by James T. Gillam. ↵
  12. Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History, 2011, s.v. “Tunnel Rats,” by James T. Gillam. ↵
  13.  Timothy Gusinov, “‘Kyareses’: Taliban’s Death Trap or Escape Route?” Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin 28, no. 2 (April 2002): 46. ↵

Tags from the story

  • Tunnel rats, U.S. Vietnam War

Share this post

Share on facebook
Share on google
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on pinterest
Share on print
Share on email
Nelson Smithwick

Nelson Smithwick

Author Portfolio Page

The Dalton Gang won’t Ride Again: The Coffeyville Raid of 1892

It was October 5, 1892. Three men wearing fake beards and wigs stood inside the

Read More »

Have Fun, Will Travel: Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show

In 1883, William “Buffalo Bill” Cody, famous frontiersman, army scout, and buffalo hunter, opened the

Read More »

This Post Has 58 Comments

  1. Avatar
    Trenton Boudreaux 14 Feb 2021 Reply

    This article correctly makes it out that clearing the Vietnamese tunnels was hard work and it shows the side we rarely see in media about the war in Vietnam. Interesting to see that these kinds of tunnel systems would be used by insurgents in the future and not just in Vietnam. Overall this article was very well written and an interesting read.

  2. Avatar
    Kenneth Gilley 6 Sep 2019 Reply

    I was impressed at how cleverly the Cu Chi tunnels were built: the sharp right angles to minimize the destruction that could be caused by explosives, the depth to prevent damage from bombing, the booby traps to foil invasions. What I found even more impressive is that there was a group of people brave and dedicated enough to infiltrate these terrifying holes. This article was very informative and entertaining.

  3. Avatar
    Noah Wesolowski 28 Mar 2019 Reply

    The Vietnam war was a mess from the start to the end even though the United States had the superior technology and more men to throw into combat they ultimately had to pull out of the Vietnam war. After reading about the tunnel rats it’s clean that these were some of the bravest men that fought in the war. They had to crawl alone in the dark in enemy territory and if they got captured or lost there would be no rescue.

  4. Avatar
    Cameron Lopez 27 Feb 2019 Reply

    I remember reading about how the Vietnam was a huge turning point in U.S history. The fact that we got pulled into this and we followed I don’t think we could of avoided being part of this horrible war. American was in an obvious divide, and this article does a great job portraying that and tells what our American soldiers had to endure in Vietnam. For example the tunnels that were used by the Viet Cong was a strategy that was proved effective towards our Americans that left many injured and dead.

  5. Lyzette Flores
    Lyzette Flores 13 Nov 2018 Reply

    I believe the Cu Chi tunnels were a brilliant idea and an advantage to the Vietnamese. They had a great advantage because they could have easily wiped out the United States. However, they rat tunnels came in the picture and they were not leaving without a fight. They knew that by going down and under the tunnels they were risking their lives but they still chose to do so. The tunnels were smart but the rat tunnels were even smarter.

  6. Avatar
    Mariah Cavanaugh 8 Nov 2018 Reply

    Your article on tunnel rats was well written. I particularly liked the images that you chose to accompany the article. The photo of Sgt. Ronald A. Payne crawling through the tunnel gave me chills and I could feel myself starting to hyperventilate. I cannot imagine the strength and courage it took to blindly go into a dark and very small tunnel.

  7. Avatar
    Lorenzo Rivera 2 Sep 2018 Reply

    The Vietnam conflict was a turning point in our Nations history. There was a clear divide in America, however, this article really shows just what our American soldiers had to endure in the jungles of Vietnam. These horrific tunnels used by the Viet Cong were a prime example of guerilla warfare, and proved effective against the Americans. The fact that explosions could potentially destroy certain parts of the tunnels showed just how smart the enemy actually was, and how American soldiers had to come up with measures to combat this tactic.

Comments navigation

Previous commentPrevious

Leave a Reply to Lyzette Flores Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

StMU History Media

A Student Organization of St. Mary's University of San Antonio Texas

Sponsors

  • College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, St. Mary's University
  • Department of History, St. Mary's University
  • Department of Political Science, St. Mary's University
  • Center for Catholic Studies, St. Mary's University

Support Services

  • The Learning Assistance Center, St. Mary's University
  • Louis J. Blume Library Services, St. Mary's University
  • STRIVE Career Center, St. Mary's University
  • Academic Technology Services, St. Mary's University

About

  • About Us
  • Our Authors
  • Our Archive
  • Contacts

© All rights reserved

Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest