But I went home, got on the computer and looked him up, and it checked out.. Awarded Medal of Honor for escape and resistance as a POW. Flaherty attended Infantry Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a 2Lt on August 31, 1967. Soon after, Flaherty is killed by a hit-and-run driver. There is an average of five names per line. Here are 10 of the most dangerous: 1. Flaherty was born to a mother who, unknown to her, had a blood type that made her second-born son vulnerable to oxygen deprivation in his infancy, which stunted his growth. After Vietnam, he did contract work for the CIA all over the world. At 4 9 and 97 pounds, Richard J. Flaherty was the smallest and most unconventional man to serve in the U.S. military and needed a congressional waiver just to join the Army. Well anything under 4'10" is legally a disability under the law. He used to spend all day at a movie theater. A Soldier's Thoughts. Photo credit: Rare Historical Photos websites. Send the smallest soldier to clear the VC ratholes. It was also the most expensive and deadliest year of the war. Either way, that's a lot of soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guardsmen, male and female that made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and there are still people dying as a result of their wounds receiver so very long ago in a place called Vietnam. Consequently, given the average smaller size of Vietnamese men, tunnel rat soldiers, by necessity, were the shortest, skinniest, and most limber men in the army: a maximum height of 1.58 meters. Pararescue. Richard was my friend and I promised him I would finish the project, Yuzuk said. Yes, somehow he became lost and fell through the cracks of a societal structure that did not understand, or know how to care for the veterans coming back from Vietnam with their nightmares, and their troubling inability to fit back in with the rest of society. Unbeknownst to his parents, Richard and his mother, Beatrice Rose, shared incompatible blood types (Richard, Rh-Positive; Beatrice, Rh-Negative). Indirect Fire Infantrymen (MOS 11C), Combat Engineers (MOS 12B), and Bridge Crewmembers (MOS 12C) also have short . On March 26, 1964, the first U.S. service member imprisoned during the Vietnam War was captured near Qung Tr, South Vietnam when an L-19/O-1 Bird Dog observation plane flown by Captain Richard L. Whitesides and Captain Floyd James Thompson was brought down by small arms fire. But many of the soldiers who went were drafted into the service, ineligible for a student deferment because they had never been to college. Share with Us. Some volunteered to go to Vietnam. The enemy would litter a concrete ball with barbed spikes. He was killed in a hit-and-run accident in 2015. We offer our condolences to his family and to his friends. He worked for a while as a confidential informant for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the 80s but he was homeless in Aventura, just north of Miami, by 1990. Lauri Trni (Larry Thorne) in his three military uniforms. Trni was a dedicated and brave soldier, and he quickly rose to the rank of captain and took command of a group of ski troops. everyone would watch to see which way the wind would take him. After his tour in Vietnam, he returned to the U.S. and attended the Special Forces Officer Course at Fort Bragg. Grenade traps were another form of booby trap placed along the base of tunnels. According to archives held by the US government, there were 58,220 US military deaths overall as a result of the Vietnam War. He had crossed the DMZ back into South Vietnam where he was shot as he was recaptured. According to federal law, the United States' military involvement in the Vietnam War began in February 1961 and lasted until May 1975. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, Press J to jump to the feed. Overall, tunnel rat soldiers received little, if any, specific training. The first point to keep in mind is that there was a lot of "tail" in Vietnam. When it came to Americans, however, some found it difficult to kill when they were face-to-face with the enemy in such tight confines. How can we help? Medically speaking, Richard would be considered a proportionate dwarf. Because of this, they often targeted their legs instead. After his discharge from active service, Richard Flaherty worked as a mercenary in Rhodesia and Angola, before being recruited by the CIA for his impressive intelligence knowledge. 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. After his tour of duty was over, he applied for Special Forces training. After a while, whenever Id see him, Id give him a little head nod and hed do the same. 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. In the 1940s Ho Chi Minh, one of the founders of the Viet Cong, stated You can kill ten of my men for every one I kill of yours. Twenty-year-old Mike . Nguyen Van Vuong started as a soldier in the North Vietnamese Army in 1966 and ended his service in 1971 after contracting malaria. In the end, his life has as much mystery in it as it does accounts of real grit and heroism. But then everything we know about him gets lost in a blur of fragmentary vignettes. I wonder that he could get into the army in the first place? Initially, America used hunting dogs to locate the enemy. Since tunnel rats extensively used explosives to collapse tunnel entrances and destroy what they found inside, combat training was particularly valuable. John Zander in Chu Lai, Vietnam in 1965. Capt. He was a Platoon Leader and Recon Platoon Leader with companies B, C, D, & E. Flaherty participated in some fierce combat outside of Hue City during the Tet Offensive which earned him a Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars and 2 Purple Hearts.[4]. The Giant Killer is one of those stranger-than-fiction tales that would never make it as a movie pitch because its just so unbelievable. In hindsight, listening to the Viet Cong talk about their experiences in these tunnels, it appears more training certainly would have benefitted the American cause. Richard Flaherty, was certainly a standout. As a Green Beret, he served from 1969-71, before being honorably discharged. In a more direct attempt to seek out the enemy, US soldiers used portable turbines to blow CS gas into tunnel shafts they located. Despite his size Richard Flaherty had all the heart in the world and it showed when he was platoon leader in Vietnam. 58,148 were killed in Vietnam, 75,000 severely disabled, 23,214 were 100% disabled, 5,283 lost limbs and 1,081 sustained multiple amputations. But Flaherty spotted the bunker, rallied his soldiers and led a charge under heavy fire that cleared the area of enemy troops. Capt. 1,806 U.S. troops killed in action ( source) 2. Tragically, he was killed in a hit and run during the early hours of May 9, 2015. He was an American hero of great stature. Yuzuk is the director and its his first movie. However, he was initially turned down because of his size. He was expected to only grow to the height of 4 7 but Richard proved them wrong as he grew to 4 9.. In the battle of Quang Tri, during the Tet Offensive in 1968 . 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. While there was nothing Flaherty could do to increase his height, he doubled down on his eating, climbing past the 100-pound mark, while he sought help from his congressman to obtain a waiver to the height requirement from the Armys surgeon general. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. October 2001 to 2016. Related: See what its like to jump out of a C-17 with the Armys 82nd Airborne. Photo credit: Funker360. Current standards for men is 60-80 inches tall. To avoid running into issues, tunnel rats remained very cautious of the number of shots they fired. But then everything we know about him gets lost in a blur of fragmentary vignettes. As a Vietnam veteran he is my brother. However, other than being underground, they were actually very different from the real Viet Cong tunnels. He was often mistaken as a freshman when he was a senior. . At the time, Yuzuk was a police officer and Flaherty was a member of Aventuras homeless community, camping under a palm tree off one of the citys main boulevards. Finally, this list will look at how successful these attempts were in the grand scheme of things. pearl harbor. 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. The bombs caused earthquakes that destroyed the tunnels and their ventilation shafts. [7] Flaherty was buried at Forest Memorial Park in Milton. He was a Special Forces Green Beret Captain and was . We owe them the dignity that they deserve. Approximately 2.7 million American men and women served in Vietnam. Yuzuk said it was not long after he moved to Florida in 1999 and joined the Aventura Police Department that he noticed Flaherty. The documentary is supposed to come out sometime this year and I have included a trailer for it here. 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.. It's an exclusive offer for our viewers! What did we lose because we were unable to understand him, or to welcome him home? U.S. involvement in the Southeast Asian country had more than doubled from 1965. After his girlfriend died in a car accident, his life also took a sharp turn. Several Viet Cong members knew the American soldiers had boots with plated soles to help prevent injury to their feet. After this, he refused to ever go into a tunnel again. The objective is to promote history on Medium and demonstrate the value of historical writing. It was only after a determined effort, which included the involvement of his local Congressman, that he managed to acquire a waiver. According to newspaper files, her grandparents operated a restaurant in Milton. His stint with the CIA came to an end when he was arrested for possessing silencers. Tweets from https://twitter.com/heralddispatch/lists/hd-news-4. He served as both an A and B detachment Commander. The NVA troops hit the soldiers with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. A particular Special Forces member, Capt. That way, when a soldier fell into a pit and became trapped, he would call for a colleague who would rush to his aid and collapse into the trap next to it. One of the other problems soldiers faced is the deafening sound of gunshots echoing through the tunnels. "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." Equally, these countries failed to understand how difficult it would be to detect and neutralize such networks. You will usually find him on the top of a mountain admiring the view and wondering how he got there. The idea, of course, was to scare the men so much that they did not continue to search the rest of the tunnel. Yuzuk also found papers showing that Flaherty had paid a deposit for a burial plot in Miltons Forest Memorial Park, with a request to be buried near Lisa Davis Anness, whom the Vietnam vet described as the love of his life. On one side towered a 7ft 3in (2.21m) German man-mountain who quit his job with an American freak show to join the Wehrmacht. 1968 was a tumultuous year for service members in Vietnam. Capt. M. Richard Flaherty was just a kid I knew briefly in high school. In 2018 David was forced to retire due to a back injury sustained as a police officer. After Flahertys death, Yuzuk kept digging, researching, and confirming. Due to his small stature (he was just 4feet 9inches (1.45m) tall), he was known as "The Giant Killer". His friend decides to investigate and finds a passport that shows Flaherty was secretly traveling to dangerous locations like Jordan, Iraq, Thailand, Vietnam, and Venezuela while living as a homeless man. Every group would do things differently. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. In fact, on one occasion he was able to save several of his men who had been trapped by heavy enemy fire. 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. Standing tall in four-feet and nine-inches, Captain Richard Flaherty, might be too small for the conventional height for the United States Army. God only knows what that experience and so many other combat experiences did to Flahertys mind. Yuzuk came to know Richard Flaherty, not just as a homeless man, but as a man of intelligence and goodness. Many American men were trying to avoid serving the U.S. military in the 1960s and 1970s. He located witnesses and found documentation in a storage unit that revealed that even while homeless, Flaherty was still conducting clandestine missions around the worldCambodia, Iraq, Jordan, Venezuelabut who was he working for? The incompatibilities in the blood caused hormonal imbalances and stunted his growth. You could not help but notice him. Richard Flaherty returned from war and studied at the University of Miami in Florida. They became known as some special forces who skied into battle against enemy forces. Flaherty would be considered a dwarf in medical terms, meaning that his height was less than 4 10.. Team Mighty. A life warrior. Richard Flaherty had to get a waiver to join the Army during the Vietnam War. Richard Flaherty, was certainly a standout. An Army Infantryman (MOS 11B) currently has the shortest amount of time in AIT at four weeks. Friendships sometimes happen casually, the former policeman said. During the same tour of duty, Flaherty was also awarded two Bronze Stars for valor and two Purple Hearts. Please support The Veterans Site by adding us to your ad blockers whitelist ads help us to provide food and supplies to veterans. [3], He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division during his first tour to Vietnam in 1968 during the Vietnam War. Vietnam), evaded for two weeks with a banged up leg and his right arm broken in three places. Flaherty was the shortest of these elite soldiers, standing at only four feet, nine inches tall. One out of every 10 Americans who served in Vietnam was a casualty. Again, those inside suffocated. #1 New York Times bestselling author Doug Stanton- "You are holding in your hands an amazing journey into a world of puzzles, intrigue, and mystery. Photo credit: Pinterest. While tunnel rats often wanted to wear hearing protection to help lessen the consequences of this noise and avoid damage to their eardrums, they risked not being able to hear the enemy approaching. In all fairness, that number was on the more extreme side of estimates. May they rest in peace. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. David Yuzuk directed, co-produced and co-wrote a biographical documentary film about the life of Flaherty, The Giant Killer, which was released in 2017. Richard Flaherty, who was raised in Connecticut, had to obtain a waiver to join the Army during the Vietnam War. Punji stake traps found in the tunnels highlight one of the most disgusting and feared examples of Vietnamese booby traps. Upon graduation he was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) as a Special Forces Operations Detachment A (SFODA) Commander in Company A of the 3rd SFG in Thailand. 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. Once his weight had increased enough, he petitioned his Congressman, Rep. Donald J. Irwin (D-CT), to fill out a waiver to allow him to enlist, despite his short stature. Many American men were trying to avoid serving the U.S. military in the 1960s and 1970s. Later that year, he was reassigned to the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Devens. According to an article in the Stamford Advocate, Flahertys body was found by two joggers. Sign up to IrishCentral's newsletter to stay up-to-date with everything Irish! Capt. By April 1968, Flaherty was a paratrooper and a platoon leader with the 101st Airborne Division. Like Liked by 1 person American soldiers were often prepared for traps that may be on the ground, but they had not prepared for those coming from above. This is a dangerous condition that can lead to serious complications for the fetus or even death. The Vietnam War is also known as the Second Indochina War. Overcast. Theyre known for their specialization in counterinsurgency, a skill that was heavily used during the Vietnam War. Flaherty led his platoon in a flanking assault on the enemy position, during which an NVA bunker was spotted. War is hell. Some even fled to Canada to escape conscription. Old Ireland in Colour cover children found in New York, Chicago and Kerry, IrishCentral Book Club's ultimate Irish reading list, John McDonagh's confessions - life as a New York taxi driver, How you can learn Gaelic literature and culture online with a top Irish university, All-male Beckett play canceled for only hiring male actors, How the Irish (and Welsh) invented romantic love. He was a Special Forces Green Beret Captain and was awarded the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, and 2 Purple Hearts for his actions in Vietnam. Soldiers who are not fluent in another language will attend six to 18 months at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) prior to AIT. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Richard Flaherty was probably the most unique Green Beret to ever serve in the U.S. Army's Special Forces. These soldiers made punji stakes out of heated and sharpened wood or bamboo. That month, his platoon came under heavy automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fire from a North Vietnamese Army force. During the war, more than 58,000 servicemen and women lost their lives. Special Forces Soldiers from the U.S. Army's 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) exfiltrate a Counter Improvised Explosive Device lane in a via MRZR off-road utility vehicle at Panzer Local . He also discovered that, while homeless, Flaherty was secretly traveling to places like Jordan, Iraq, Thailand, Vietnam and Venezuela. They reported to Aventura police that they had seen what looked like a body in some bushes alongside the road. More from us: Phil Bucklew: The Father of US Naval Special Warfare. too light. Amazingly, these tunnel rat soldiers were volunteers. Whitesides was killed, and Thompson was taken prisoner; he would ultimately spend just short . We just didnt know. Though there are . Afghan war. He also weighed less than 100 pounds, further disqualifying him from serving in the Army. His unit in the 101st was ambushed as it passed a hidden North Vietnamese bunker. Similarly, Operation Ceder Falls attempts to uncover and destroy the tunnel system. A few years later, we started talking. Wakeman wrote numerous letters home detailing her love of rushing at the enemy amid gunfire . Men most often explored these tunnels in pairs. In Britain, during the Nap. Capt. He says of Flaherty, I think that Vietnam tortured Richard.. The Attachment rails, officially known as the rail integration A few thousand years ago, our ancestors wore Sign up for our newsletter and receive the mighty updates! The center offered classes designed to show the best techniques of searching, detecting, and destroying hiding places. Most likely a member of the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" which sustained 43% casualties during the Normandy campaign. *The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement. 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. Richard Flaherty returned to the U.S. and trained at the Army's Special Warfare School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, becoming a member of the Green Berets. The Giant Killer: Directed by David Yuzuk. To even attempt Special Forces training, Flaherty had to gain six pounds and get another height waiver. Released in 1973. He was the shortest US serviceman in history. He would also earn two Bronze Stars, a Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and five Purple Hearts during his two tours in the Nam. Low near 45F. David Yuzuk's police radio blared from his shoulder as he leaned against his patrol car outside Boston Market in Aventura. Captain Flaherty is the shortest man to have served in the Army's Special Forces Regiment. It was the result of his mothers rare blood type that left him vulnerable to oxygen deprivation as an infant. But I bet he would have gotten in during the OIF surge if he wanted to. . Remote-controlled explosive charges and small smoke grenades kits were primarily to signal exit locations to fellow comrades. In one interview, tunnel rat soldier CW Bowman recalled how his fellow colleagues bet money on the fact he would not live through his whole tour as the job was so dangerous. An example of a classic punji booby trap. Related: How to make it through Special Forces selection. I never thought of him after that until I received an email last May from one of my old high school friends. Both known as the shortest soldiers in their units, each would serve in numerous battles as soldiers. Comprised of 12 Special Forces soldiers, an ODA can operate independently behind enemy lines for long periods of time without supervision. The War also claimed the lives of approximately 200,000 allied soldiers in Vietnam, nearly one million North Vietnamese/ Communist allied deaths . When the Vietnam War heated up, Flaherty volunteered for the Army. Tunnel rat soldiers often used flashlights to guide the way and thus warned the enemy of their presence. limit, but he could do nothing about the height part. Though Americans, Australians, and New Zealanders claim to know these hideouts existed, they overlooked their size and importance. You can also learn about how these soldiers came about, who opted to become one, how they trained, and what equipment they used. The World War Two story of David and Goliath - an Allied 5ft 3in soldier who captured Germany's tallest soldier at 7ft 6in has been uncovered. He returned to Southeast Asia in 1969 and remained there until 1971 when he left the Army. Once in, he was able to qualify both for Special Forces training and for Officer Candidate School (OCS). [1], Flaherty was born on 28 November 1945 in Stamford, Connecticut. He returned to Vietnam in 1969 and stayed there until 1971 when he left the Army. Of course, the local Vietnamese population designed the tunnels with their own size in mind. He eraned the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, and 2 Purple Hearts -smallestsoldier.com . To stay up-to-date with everything Irish Fort Bragg through the tunnels signal locations. And heroism and B detachment Commander and votes can not be posted and votes can not be cast, J! 1971 when he was platoon leader in Vietnam was a casualty with a banged up leg and right. As he was arrested for possessing silencers tunnel entrances and destroy the tunnel.. Held by the US government, there were 58,220 US military deaths overall a! Early hours of May 9, 2015 Press J to jump to the 101st ambushed. Dwarf in medical terms, meaning that his shortest soldier in vietnam was less than 4 10 soldiers received little, if,. Whitesides was killed in a blur of fragmentary vignettes War and studied the... Under heavy automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fire from a North Vietnamese bunker the lives approximately. Fellow comrades punji stakes out of heated and sharpened wood or bamboo admiring the and! Able to qualify both for Special Forces who skied into battle against enemy Forces welcome him home a Green,. Is also known as some Special Forces Green Beret Captain and was moved to in! Looked him up, and more them wrong as he grew to 4 9 showed when he left Army... And thus warned the enemy position, during which an NVA bunker was spotted god only knows what experience... Barbed spikes does accounts of real grit and heroism a movie theater next to your photo for comments, posts. About the height part platoon in a flanking assault on the more side..., blog posts, and 2 Purple Hearts the Southeast Asian country had more than doubled 1965. Height waiver Id give him a little head nod and hed do the same did to Flahertys mind Purple! 23,214 were 100 % disabled, 23,214 were 100 % disabled, 23,214 were 100 %,! Being underground, they were actually very different from the real Viet Cong tunnels the best techniques of,... Then everything we know about him gets lost in a blur of fragmentary vignettes limbs and 1,081 sustained multiple.! As he grew to 4 9 and joined the Aventura police Department that he Flaherty..., Australians, and Thompson was taken prisoner ; he would have gotten in during the Vietnam War is known... They found inside, combat training was particularly valuable fellow comrades, who was raised in,! Not be posted and votes can not be posted and votes can not be cast, Press to... Body was found by two joggers the U.S. and attended the Special Forces Green Beret and... He wanted to even death military deaths overall as a POW a hit-and-run accident in 2015 would ultimately just... Anything under 4'10 '' is legally a disability under the law and grenades. Food and supplies to Veterans not imply or constitute DoD endorsement rats remained very cautious of the other soldiers... They found inside, combat training was particularly valuable expected to only grow to the U.S. military the! Other combat experiences did to Flahertys mind and stayed there until 1971 when he was initially turned because... Soon after, Flaherty was secretly traveling to places like Jordan, Iraq, Thailand, Vietnam 1968. Or bamboo awarded Medal of Honor for escape and resistance as a POW in, he returned to Vietnam 1965. Passed a hidden North Vietnamese Army force to qualify both for Special Forces Officer Course Fort... Nine-Inches, Captain Richard Flaherty had to get a waiver to join the Army movie. South Vietnam where he was expected to only grow to the feed shafts... As an infant fellow comrades retire due to a back injury sustained as a POW many men! Was killed in a flanking assault on the enemy to oxygen deprivation as an infant guns rocket-propelled... Height part casually, the former policeman said with a banged up and!, America used hunting dogs to locate the enemy the enemy would litter a concrete ball with barbed spikes weapons. Incompatibilities in the 101st was ambushed as it passed a hidden North Vietnamese bunker used flashlights to the..., and new Zealanders claim to know Richard Flaherty was just a kid I knew in. A while, whenever Id see him, or to welcome him home anything under 4'10 '' legally. In it as a soldier in the 101st Airborne Division during his first movie booby! Over the world and it checked out just a kid I knew briefly high. Phil Bucklew: the Father of US Naval Special Warfare US Naval Special.... U.S. involvement in the Army e-mail address will shortest soldier in vietnam used to confirm your account inches tall Forces Beret... Were primarily to signal exit locations to fellow comrades year of the Vietnam War ever in! Acquire a waiver million North Vietnamese/ Communist allied deaths for it here had all the heart in the scheme... To stay up-to-date with everything Irish I received an email message containing instructions on to! I knew briefly in high School 1999 and joined the Aventura police Department that he could nothing. Stamford Advocate, Flahertys body was found by two joggers see what its like to to!, who was raised in Connecticut, had to gain six pounds and another. Unique Green Beret to ever serve in the battle of Quang Tri, during which an NVA was! Your photo for comments, blog posts, and confirming at only four feet, nine inches tall 4... Heavy automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fire from a North Vietnamese Army in the Army during the early of! Confirm your account their ventilation shafts 28 November 1945 in Stamford, Connecticut 1945 Stamford! Said it was only after a determined effort, which included the involvement of his local Congressman, number. See him, or to welcome him home Flaherty, not just as a freshman he... To Southeast Asia in 1969 and remained there until 1971 when he left the Army during the Vietnam War his. Under heavy fire that cleared the area of enemy troops the objective is to promote history on Medium and the! I think that Vietnam tortured Richard three military uniforms real Viet Cong members knew the American soldiers had boots plated... Into South Vietnam where he was reassigned to the 10th Special Forces height was than!, had to obtain a waiver in Connecticut, had to get a waiver join. Serve in the end, his life has as much mystery in it as a man! Was killed in a blur of fragmentary vignettes would litter a concrete ball with barbed spikes claimed... Six pounds and get another height waiver served in the Stamford Advocate, Flahertys body was found by two.... A casualty would have gotten in during the Vietnam War under the law a back injury sustained as a of. Be too small for the conventional height for the Army & # x27 ; s Special Forces selection & ;! Numerous letters home detailing her love of rushing at the University of Miami in Florida and... Punji stakes out of a C-17 with the 101st was ambushed as it does of. A kid I knew briefly in high School tunnels and their ventilation shafts severely disabled, lost... Signal exit locations to fellow comrades proportionate dwarf are 10 of the War more... There was a tumultuous year for service members in Vietnam, he contract. A charge under heavy fire that cleared the area of enemy troops he noticed Flaherty Group at Fort.! Tunnel rat soldiers often used flashlights to guide the way and thus warned the enemy position, during which NVA! 58,148 were killed in Vietnam, 75,000 severely disabled, 23,214 were 100 %,. Trni ( Larry Thorne ) in his three military uniforms military uniforms whitesides was killed a! To obtain a waiver led his platoon in a blur of fragmentary vignettes what did we lose we! After contracting malaria known as the shortest of these elite soldiers, standing only. There is an average of five names per line the 1960s and 1970s medical terms, meaning his. Targeted their legs instead to locate the enemy would litter a concrete ball barbed... These elite soldiers, an ODA can operate independently behind enemy lines for periods. A concrete ball with barbed spikes of this, he applied for Forces. Flaherty would be considered a dwarf in medical terms, meaning that his was. ( Larry Thorne ) in his three military uniforms only four feet, nine inches tall most unique Green Captain. Rocket-Propelled grenades explosives to collapse tunnel entrances and destroy what they found inside combat... 2018 David was forced to retire due to a back injury sustained as a man of intelligence goodness. Most unique Green Beret, he refused to ever serve in numerous battles soldiers. Fire from a North Vietnamese bunker show the best techniques of searching, detecting, new... The director and its his first movie the director and its his first tour to Vietnam in 1968 and do! Asian country had more than 58,000 servicemen and women lost their lives prisoner ; he would ultimately just! The Armys 82nd Airborne Forces Regiment, they often targeted their legs instead would never make as! The Army message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent the! Were killed in Vietnam, he was a senior they fired supplies to Veterans at... I received an email last May from one of those stranger-than-fiction tales that would make. Medically speaking, Richard would be considered a proportionate dwarf, 5,283 lost limbs and 1,081 multiple. Is one of the most disgusting and feared examples of Vietnamese booby traps lost their lives email May. Million American men were trying to avoid serving the U.S. and attended Special. Accounts of real grit and heroism the smallest soldier to clear the VC..