The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. is the nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 1980 to fund and build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. . After graduating from the Special Forces Qualification Course, Flaherty was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) as a detachment commander and sent to southeast Asia with the 46th Special Forces Company. Source of data: the Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File, as of April 29, 2008, of the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) Files, part of Record Group 330: Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Why they volunteered varied person to person, but one American soldier speculated volunteers were trying sometimes to make up for problematic lives back home or to prove their manhood in truly testing conditions. The same soldier noted that once rats conquered their fear, assuming they survived, some even came to like their work for the rats, the light at the end of the tunnel was usually a VC with a candle.. He also fell below the Army's weight requirement of 100 pounds. He would see Flaherty and talk with him every day; they would even eat lunch together. Of course, the local Vietnamese population designed the tunnels with their own size in mind. 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. Still, his skills, tenacity, and leadership can tear down an entire enemys. As a result, many tunnel rats often avoided using hearing protection while underground. So for a combat soldier, there was about a 10% chance of being killed in action. Phil Bucklew: The Father of US Naval Special Warfare. Flaherty was 2 inches too short and 6 lb. "The true story of the smallest Green Beret soldier who became a war hero-only to be killed homeless and alone, whose life and death are shrouded in mystery." 66F. Flaherty, who had to obtain a waiver to join the Army during the Vietnam War because of his size, was a paratrooper and platoon leader with the 101st and received a Silver Star for leading his platoon on a flanking assault of an enemy bunker. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. What did we lose because we were unable to understand him, or to welcome him home? How can we help? 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. In her spare time, Rosemary enjoys spending time with her partner, her cats, and her horse, or sitting down to read a good book. In 1968 he was sent to Vietnam in the famous 101st Airborne Division, the "Screaming Eagles". From this point, they were to seek out enemy soldiers or potential hiding spaces where they may have once been. The stakes would then spear any soldier that fell into the pit. Submitted photo. If the stakes pointed downwards, soldiers became unable to remove their limbs without causing severe damage. Using this tactic, they added yellow dye to the water to enable aerial observers to spot any entrances that ground troops had missed. Initially, America used hunting dogs to locate the enemy. His Silver Star citation offers a brief glimpse to Flaherty, the man. the shortest have one line. Vietnam), evaded for two weeks with a banged up leg and his right arm broken in three places. If you include the near-nine years of fighting that took place during the First Indochina War, add that tally to the 20-year war in Vietnam, you understand why the conflict is sometimes referred to as the Ten Thousand Day War, that number more or less equating to 30 years. It was the year of the Tet Offensive, where U.S. troop numbers peaked at more than half a million. That month, his platoon came under heavy automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fire from a North Vietnamese Army force. He said he hopes the movie makes people think twice before being dismissive or hateful toward the homeless, many of whom are veterans, and make politicians think carefully before sending American men and women to foreign places to kill people. 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. Not only was he the shortest Green Beret to serve in Vietnam, he was also the shortest US serviceman in history. 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. ODA was tasked with training the Royal Thai Army in counterinsurgency operations and prepare them for a deployment to Vietnam. He fought and distinquished himself in Vietnam. 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. He was killed in a hit-and-run accident in 2015. How many other Richard Flahertys are there living among us as homeless veterans? [5] Fifteen years before Flaherty's death, he was befriended by Miami Police officer David Yuzuk after Flaherty became homeless. When he reached adolescence, Flaherty was small compared to his peers. You have permission to edit this article. During the Second World War, the Vietnamese first constructed underground tunnels to fight Japanese invasion. 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. A group of soldiers would then charge the gap to hopefully get a foothold and allow other troops to pile in. The complications caused a hormonal imbalance that stunted his growth. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. But it wasnt until 2015 that Flaherty first spoke of his time as a platoon leader and Green Beret in Vietnam. Watch on. In fact, on one occasion he was able to save several of his men who had been trapped by heavy enemy fire. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. I quote the half-inch ants have such a powerful bite that to pull them off means losing a bit of skin. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. The healthy soldier/worker effect gradually subdued over time. 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. Remote-controlled explosive charges and small smoke grenades kits were primarily to signal exit locations to fellow comrades. Create a password that only you will remember. Phases of captures. One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. A marker has been ordered for his grave and is expected to be placed early next year. To even attempt Special Forces training, Flaherty had to gain six pounds and get another height waiver. Four-foot, nine-inch tall veteran Richard J. Flaherty claimed to be the shortest man ever to serve in the United States military. everyone would watch to see which way the wind would take him. Some even fled to Canada to escape conscription. Naturally, there were only first chances, never second, so some simply killed as they had to. According to studies conducted during the war, after one year of service, the hearing and smell of a typical tunnel rat became sixty percent better than that of an average man. However, only about 20 percent of those served in generally recognized 'combat' roles. Greek Army veteran (National service with 575th Marines Battalion and Army HQ). The idea, of course, was to scare the men so much that they did not continue to search the rest of the tunnel. Many American men were trying to avoid serving the U.S. military in the 1960s and 1970s. What it also doesn't mention in the video is how absolutely ruthless this dude was. [6] After Flaherty's death, Yuzuk went to look into his history and uncovered troves of information from Flaherty's storage unit, such as his passport with stamps from Cambodia, Venezuela, Iraq and Jordan. Owned and operated by CharityUSA.com, LLC. The Veterans Site asks that you take a moment out of your day to consider donating to help house homeless veterans. Four-foot, nine-inch tall veteran Richard J. Flaherty claimed to be the shortest man ever to serve in the United States military. The tunnels also hosted armament workshops, training depots, headquarters, and a variety of other facilities. As a man, he stands tall in my book. This required him to put on even more weight and get another waiver signed to excuse him from the height requirements. He is believed to have worked as a military contractor throughout Africa and most notably in Rhodesia and Angola. As you may have guessed, life expectancy was low. Of those killed, 61% were younger than 21 years old. All rights reserved. When interviewed he stated: We often wondered how things happened in the night and we never saw what was going on, guys getting their throat cut. Richard James Flaherty was born on November 28, 1945. franklin roosevelt. Awarded Medal of Honor for escape and resistance as a POW. We often look at college students as punk kids, lazy frat guys or any other kind of social stereotype. What are we doing that causes the disease of homelessness? He stood at just 49 tall. In 1970 he was reassigned to the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Devens. When it comes to headgear, some soldiers wore a helmet or a visored cap along with a microphone and/ or transistor radio attached. There is an average of five names per line. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. Some tunnel rats were also fortunate enough to take part in Combat Engineer Advanced Individual Training. The link to . The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. 7'3" Jakob Nacken (221 cm), the tallest German soldier of WW2, chatting with 5'7" (170 cm) Eddie Worth, AP photographer with the wartime still picture pool, after his surrender. The CIA? Females - 26%. Flaherty and his men did not escape that violence. Unbeknownst to his parents, Richard and his mother, Beatrice Rose, shared incompatible blood types (Richard, Rh-Positive; Beatrice, Rh-Negative). Once the Viet Cong caught on to what was happening, they began to use the same soap the Americans used. Current standards for men is 60-80 inches tall. A large proportion of the U.S. troops consisted of African American men from the inner cities, the sons of immigrants . It was a horrendous ordeal to face and brought even the toughest of men to tears. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism They harnessed their newfound abilities to help them with survival because unlike their enemies, they lacked experience in these small dark tunnels. One American man was trying anything to get in. A twenty-two year old U.S. Army Lieutenant finds himself in the fight of his life on his birthday. On average, tunnels in this underground network were 1.2 meters wide and only 0.8 to 1.8 metres high. Thus, when Richard was born, he was different. He appealed to his Connecticut Senator, Christopher Dodd, and was able to get a special waiver into the Army. You see, Richard Flaherty was only 410. Richard Flaherty, who was raised in Connecticut, had to obtain a waiver to join the Army during the Vietnam War. His stint with the CIA came to an end when he was arrested for possessing silencers. 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 Viet Cong amassed around 250 kilometers of underground tunnels. In September of 1966, Rep. Donald J. Irwin of Connecticut got in touch with the U.S. Army Surgeon General, who recommended a waiver for Flahertys height. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. Copyright 2023 Military.com. Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas) represents Texas' 3rd congressional . The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. The average Liberian is 159.66cm (5 feet 2.85 inches) tall. He had been the victim of a hit-and-run car accident. Richard J. Flaherty with two classmates at Officer Candidate School in 1967 (Photo: David Yuzuk / Laptrinhx.com ). In 2018 David was forced to retire due to a back injury sustained as a police officer. world war ii. Richard Flaherty returned from war and studied at the University of Miami in Florida. They helped conduct military operations on behalf of communist forces. M. Communications, public relations, and marketing professional, and content creator during free time. You just backed out and told them up above the tunnel was cold.. Photo credit: USMC Archives. As a Vietnam veteran he is my brother. After one tour in Vietnam, Capt. He actually had a pretty sad ending. Lots of tunnel rats used the standard-issue colt. Yuzuk told the West Virginia Gazette that he hopes the documentary will make people think twice about judging the homeless. Reads: 47 Comments: 1. . Flaherty took Yuzuk to a storage locker he rented to pull out photos and documents that might be useful in the documentary, and they returned several times in the following weeks until May 9, 2015 the date Flaherty was struck and killed by a hit and run driver near his palm-shaded campsite. Pictured left to right: Topsy, Fatty, Cotton (killed fitty men and got his shins blowed off), Brooklyn, Stinky, and Fatty. On the other hand, combat troops had nearly an even chance of getting wounded, roughly 50%. Friendships sometimes happen casually, the former policeman said. Like Liked by 1 person In Britain, during the Nap. Click here to stay informed and subscribe to Herald-Dispatch. 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