If you are further interested there is a great book out called "A Sappers War."
It's a great read and gives a cross section of the RAE in Vietnam. Tunnel Rats included.
It's first of all funny and then not so funny but it is 100% True.
2
I was a combat engineer on a volunteer demo team and we spent a month with the Australian 1st RAE on Operation Enoggera in 1966. We "relocated" the village of Long Phuoc. The main aussie base was at Nui Dat. The area was infested with tunnels and we tried different techniques to destroy them. But first you had to clear them. Flashlight and a pistol, belly crawling or maybe hands and knees, and you never knew what was around the next bend. I still think of it.
Some of the tunnels were dug during the wars with the french. All by hand! Didn't take long to figure out these people were not going to be defeated. I hope the people of Long Phuoc were able to rebuild what we destroyed.
5
@Gary
Hi Gary
I was also with 1 Fd Sqn..1 Tp at the time. We were new and working with 3 Fd Tp who had just come down from Ben HOA.
Nice to meet you
Trevor Shelley.
2
All for nothing. Very sad.
2
N.B. There are lots of Nui Dats in Vietnam; it means "dirt hill."
1
Perhaps you are otherwise unaware of Australia's military operations in South Vietnam (too many are). That "Nui Dat" was Australia's main base.
"From 1966 to 1971 most Australian soldiers in Vietnam formed a task force which ranged across the province of Phuoc Tuy, seeking out an elusive and ultimately unbeatable enemy. The task force was supplied by sea at the port of Vung Tau, but it conducted its “operations”, as the army nicely called them, from Nui Dat, near the centre of the province. For many Australian soldiers “the Dat” was more than a military base. It was also their temporary home". https://www.awm.gov.au/wartime/29/dat
Just so that reference to a very rare Australian presence in this series is clear.
2
There is a more extensive description of the Australian base at Nui Dat, on pages 30-32 of The Tunnel Rats Association newsletter 29 of August 2016.
Here http://www.tunnelrats.com.au/pdfs/newsletters/Holdfast-29.pdf
Try reading the other newsletters to more fully understand Jim Marett's article here.
2
Sorry, but I see no glamour, honor or heroics in participating in a criminal war of aggression against the people of Viet Nam. Australia's participation in the American War Against Viet Nam is nothing remotely resembling something to be proud of. [Author of this comment is a vet of US Army 1967-71.]
2
If you truly are a Vet ..and I doubt that you are, then you would realise that the honour and the heroics have nothing to do with why or even how the war was prosecuted. But in how individual people, young men mostly thrown into a situation where they really, really, didn't want to be, helped their comrades stay alive.
There is nothing in this article or in any of the comments that I have seen that Glamourizes the War.. YOU are the only one to bring that subject up...which makes me doubt, as I said that, you served.
I Served in Northern Ireland fighting Terrorism and then in Bosnia during that war and lost a friend to an explosion there. Do you think I wanted to die sorting out the problems of a nation hell bent on slaughtering each other? Do you think my friend wanted to die? Do you think that my friends life was worth the peace that came with Bosnia... I personally don't!
But the difference between us and this chap Jim Marret is that we signed up for whatever our government had in store for us, we volunteered at a time when our enemy (the Warsaw pact) was unlikely to strike. We didn't particularly want to go to a War, but when we did....well we just did our best to stay alive and keep our friends alive.
If you don't understand that then you certainly never put a uniform on professionally or otherwise as far as I can see. (Sapper, The Corps of Royal Engineers. 1983-1999)
16
I was a Sapper with the Royal Engineers... Mine clearance?....not my direct role, but was trained in it....Booby traps? only rudimentary... going down tunnels? no bloody way Jose!
And yet Henry Kissinger continues to cavort merrily.
1
There were NO jobs in Vietnam as dangerous as Marett's. I served, but as an MP, not as risky as infantry or other MO's. And then, there were guys like Marett, whose risk was off the charts. Whenever somebody mentioned "tunnel rats," everybody just went silent and shook their heads. You couldn't have gotten me to do it if you'd put a bayonet at my back. Hats off, mate!
6
If anyone is interested in more details of Australia's tunnel rats, they have their own website and published a book in 2011, called (oddly enough !) "Tunnel Rats" and "A Sappers War" in 2014 - http://www.tunnelrat.com.au/.
Brave beyond words.
1
What a stunning photograph of Jim Marett. His eyes tell us all we need to know.
2
I think his eyes in the accompanying picture say everything one needs to know about his "job" and experience......Thanks Jim.glad you made it back to tell your story.
3
James, I didn't realize so many different paperback covers of "A Rumor of War" had been published. Here is the one I have and of which I was referring:
https://www.bookogs.com/book/212950-A-Rumor-of-War
Exactly, James. His eyes are mesmerizing on so many different levels.
If you haven't already, I would recommend you read Philip Caputo's 1977 account of his time in Vietnam, "A Rumor of War." Don McCullin's cover photo will move and disturb you in much the same way, as well it should.
1
Totally beyond my comprehension and imagination. Ave...
USN 1967 - 71
Viet Nam 1968
1
Mr. Marret, well articulated and the effort to describe the experience and the dynamic and bond of the engineers is much needed.
My uncle explained his experience in the Battle of the Bulge - "I was in a fox hole with my friend. I asked him a question, there was a pause. I looked over, a bullet had made its way through between his eyes."
My uncle then walked away and over his shoulder he said to me, "I was 18." We were making hay in Northern Minnesota.
It was 1970; I was 17. Godspeed to you Mr. Marrett.
3
And Old Bone Spurs certainly had the moral stature to dis the Australian head of state in that phone call.
2
I showed up at Nui Dat about six months later than this Tunnel Rat. However, I was in the U.S. First Infantry Division and only spent one night there. I remember the professionalism of the Australian and Kiwi soldiers and a drunken night in the officer's club. His BBQ was apparently not uncommon.
1
We need to honor the courage and mutual support of combat troops . . . and stop wasting this precious resource on useless and counterproductive wars like Vietnam.
1
Thank you for all you gave up to serve. I hope you gained something, too.
Hopefully, this series on Vietnam will warn young Americans about future unnecessary wars started by unethical presidents like Lyndon Johnson and Donald Trump.
Just before Kennedys death on Friday, November 22 in 1963, he signed an executive order to begin the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam and end the war.
On Monday, Kennedy was dead and Lyndon signed another executive order canceling the JFK directive and ordering the immediate escalation of the American war in Vietnam.
Every American death in Vietnam was the direct result of Lyndon Johnson signing that order. The American revulsion of that war resulted in the draft being abolished making it possible for future presidents to rely on better paid volunteer soldiers and fewer complaints from parents of dead soldiers in Vietnam who were drafted.
Today we are faced with an unstable and inexperienced president who fantasizes about using nuclear weapons and destroying all of North Korea.
Today we are in more danger of losing our lives in a nuclear holocaust than any time since WW II. There is absolutely nothing coming out of Trump's White House that can reassure us we will not go to war during his term!
4
Very moving! Very real! Thank you for your brave service instead of the dishonorable 'discharge' that President Bonespur earned chasing 'tail' in Manhattan.
This great article should be included in Private Bone Spur’s daily intelligence briefing book, and it should stay in the Oval Office until the brave veteran of the STD Wars in the VIP rooms of Studio 54 leaves. And the Office can be sanitized.
6
Thank you for this article. I've been following the NYT Vietnam series with interest, and it was good to see a piece from the Australian experience.
1
Exactly - finally !
1
Thank you for your service and thank you Australia for sending your young men to help us Yanks in Vietnam.
Can the NYT also provide an account of "a commoner" from Vietnam, his/her life shredded by the war?
While these men were brave, they were fighting a war created by old men. They were not defending their country, they didn't know what they were fighting for. All they have is their tortuous memories.
The commoner, going about his daily business, his/her family burnt should be accounted for too.
3
Good on ya mate! It's good to hear you tell your story.
Ricepaddy --
A very apt description of the intense atmosphere that surrounded the tunnel rat. The only other similar combat job in Vietnam that I can think of was the LOACH pilots flying the Hughes OH-6A at only 25 or 50 meters off the ground or low and slow as they used to say in order to draw enemy fire or look for trails and other markings of the enemy and gather intel. The "scouts" were the hunters that became the hunted- the bait to bring in overwhelming firepower on the enemy. They were mostly an independent bunch that liked to keep to themselves due to the nature of the job. As for the NVA and VC, I would say it would be those that served in the Sapper companies that assaulted FSB and LZ. Probably very few of those men are still living.
What a beautiful description of something so ugly. When courage, displayed by Mr. Marett, become the ingredient of constructive efforts as opposed to destructive, we will have advanced as a society.
1
Thank you. I was an FO with a light Infantry company in 69 and 70, The grunts were amazing, brave beyond belief. My hat is off to you and you and your fellow tunnel rats.
1
I would like to know what Mr. Marett's civilian job is now and how he has fared psychologically in later life. Does he have a family including children?
1
Your's is the way combat happened in the Vietnam conflict, and a conflict it was as it was not war officially declared. I am struck by the authenticity of your observations, the pace, the tone, the descriptions of incredibly abrupt engagements that give combat its searing terror and arbitrary deaths. You give voice to the Australian fighter's courage and loyalty, without question, to the freedom and liberty we all fought for in Vietnam. This article says so much by inflection and fact; I've not read such in this auspicious series of articles that all should read and understand.
7
What freedom?
Wondrous stories of true heroics, gripping words Jim Marett, my appreciation and respect
1
This is all we need to know if we ever needed to explain the anti-war movement.
1
My aluminum bike and ski jacket were made in Vietnam. My former gardener was before emigration to Canada NVA. My saddest moment at a Christmas party in my home came when I asked a quet grad student, as I poured him a drink, "Was the helicopter you flew ever brought down by enemy fire?" Richard replied, "Six times." I was struck dumb.
I am uncertain about God's existence, but positive about unexpected human strength, ingenuity, and bravery. And about politician's bloody, bloody indifference to human suffering. Whatever shocked Marett about crushed lives and dreams, he learned that people, Vietnamese, American, or Australian, have strengths that seem divine.
3
Thank you sir
There are no words humble or graceful enough for me to dsy that could possibly express my respect and thanks for your service. I was a kid who saw the young men ariund me come home changed forever, suffering from experiences that no man should ever have to go through. Warmest Regards and God bless...
6
Thank you for your service. Glad you made it out alive and well!
4
As Gen Grant said of the rebels soldiers in the US Civil War and I am paraphrasing him, never have I seen such brave men fight for such a bad cause.
Those same words can be said for the soldiers of all countries who fought the Vietnamese.
6
Not even close. But good try.
Mostly, I was in the 168th Engineer Btn, B Company, stationed mainly in Lai Khe but sometimes in Dian, summer 1966-summer 1967....Highway 13. Even at base, we had to man the perimeter, and were subjected to intermittent mortar fire. On the initial trip to Lai Khe a beer truck ahead of my dump truck hit a mine, and the glass injured several people. On the first night, mortar rounds hit our tent. A couple of more were injured. Those of us who were left were immediately sent to the line. It was the rainy season and we were soaked and scared. Although we were afraid, the anticipation of doom was worse than the actual danger.
We pulled our own security, cleared roads etc. Tunnels were only part of the job. We were attached to the 1st Infantry division. Everyone, including the cooks and headquarters staff, had to pull ambush patrols, at night, "outside the wire" in Charlie country.
Although we had electronic mine detectors, experience dictated that we blew everything up in place, including mines and tunnels.
In 67, we were on Operations Junction City and Cedar falls in the Iron Triangle, at the Cambodian border in Tay Ninh Province. After a couple of harrowing experiences, we acquired a water purification unit, used to flood the tunnels to avoid losses.
9
Unfathomable courage. Really ... there are no words, but I feel I should apologize for what we got you into. Being a U.S. ally, too often, sure has a steep price.
11
Wow...an incredible account of the ugliness of war. I hope writing this and getting it out brings some comfort for your psyche. The quote "...no way to measure whether I'd had a rough time of it or actually gotten off lightly" is pretty intense as Mr. Marett pretty much puts that dark period in his life in perspective for us to see. Much appreciated sir for your (and all Vietnam Vets) service and sharing.
1
Simply a wonderful article. Thank you very much.
5
A remarkable piece of understated writing, devoid of any macho chestpounding or ideological ranting. Mr. Marrett displays a deep admiration for the men he served with, as well he should, but never even hints at his own heroism. (No man could assume the responsibilities he did without deserving the label of hero, a much over-used term.)
How tragic that the sacrifices he and his comrades made could not have been made in a better cause.
4
In the mid-80s I met a man who had been in Vietnam and said he had been a tunnel rat. The only thing he would tell me was that he was unable to talk about his experiences. He did say that he dreamed about them most nights. At that time I had never heard of PTSD, but now after being trained in counseling I realize that he was experiencing symptoms of it. I lost touch with him and have not thought about his experiences until I saw your article and the term 'tunnel rat'. Thank you for reminding me of him and for sharing a small amount of what you experienced. I cannot believe what we expected people I grew up with to cope with when we went to Viet Nam. No one can be prepared for this. I am grateful for your courage in revisiting your past to share with the rest of us.
4
Mr. Marett, I salute you and bow in deep respect to you for your service during the war in Vietnam. Please continue to write about your experiences, and urge your comrades to do the same. Yours is a very, very valuable contribution to our understanding of the conflict. Bravo and thank you again.
3
Lest we forget...
Incredible bravery and sacrifice, for sure. Made disturbingly poignant by the mad irony of being sent to nobly fight in an ignoble conflict, meddling in a civil war with no imaginable end-game or exit strategy.
Sound familiar? Will we ever learn? Apparently not.
1
I certainly appreciate all armed forces, American or otherwise, for doing difficult jobs. It is nonetheless too bad that human beings more often do not use our extraordinary abilities, brains, strength, fortitude, etc., in and for times of peace and harmony rather than purely as means for survival and destruction.
We could truly change the world for good, or so I believe.
Instead, the rich and powerful call the shots, and everyone else does the shooting, and the dying.
4
Maybe on some distant day we will finally be able to hear stories about the courageous acts of the Vietnamese who defeated first the French and then the Greatest Power in the Universe plus its allies.
5
All of the essays in this series are more than welcome but more welcome would be stories from the other side, the so called "enemies" who were defending their homeland. Their tours of duty were not one year but the entire war, many fought the French, then Pol Pot and the Chinese after defeating the "American invaders". They never were able to shower, change clothes and feast on crabs and steak. Often, when the rice fields were napalmed it was bamboo they chewed. I am in awe of the sacrifices of the youth on both sides and disgusted that still to this day and surely tomorrow old chicken hawks will forever send them to the slaughter to capture a hill that will be relinquished the next week. The Vietnamese used these tunnels for survival as everything above ground was incinerated. They taught school, created medical units, cooked and slept in them. When it was the rainy season they lived in these tunnels up to their chests in freezing water as they heard and felt the stomping footsteps and shouts of American soldiers directly above their heads. Their stories need to be told and lauded too. They never got to "go home". They were home.
7
@Timbo
I am struggling a with your response. I cringed when I read it. This was personal for this man, not a political statement. We all know that his service was used dishonorabley by the leadership of the US, France and Australia, and he did what he needed to do to survive, just like the Vietnamese you so eloquently defended. In this space, I don't feel that we should do anything but honor him in place of those selfish leaders who refuse to. We need to offer our fellowship as human beings in response to his willingness to expose his pain and vulnerability, by sharing his experience. There is no doubt that his voice tells us to remember that we should never support useless wars and allow lives like his and the Vietnamese to be harmed and wasted for the greed and the glory, of vain and corrupt old men. He knows what went on there, he lived it. In this moment he needs our love and grace as a victim of that war, because again, this tome was personal for him, not political. I might have sent a separate LTE to save this man any pain or guilt your words might have caused by him reading them. I apologize for being so forward, but I worry that he may have potentially been made to feel worse than he already does.
2
Thank you, thank you in Brooklyn.
Fifty years later, hardly a day goes by that I am not haunted by my contribution to the murder and suffering of innocents.
2
Thank you, Sapper Jim Marett, for your well-written and organized summary. I tip my hat to you.
Several posters report not knowing of Australia's contributions in support of US military operations in Vietnam, about which I know a bit.
The Royal Australian Navy's operational involvement in Vietnam are summarized here:
http://www.navy.gov.au/history/feature-histories/naval-operations-vietnam
It's a story that generally goes unmentioned in historical accounts of the Vietnam War. I operated with RAN, particularly HMAS Perth and HMAS Hobart, and can attest to their warfighting "sharpness."
2
Thanks for remembering Australia's presence. As well as its vessels, the RAN also operated a helicopter flight serving with the US Army's 135th Assault Helicopter Company:
"Following an eight-week period of training the first contingent arrived in Vietnam on 16 October 1967 and was quickly integrated with the 330 personnel of the 135th AHC. As a result of this unique relationship between the R.A.N and the US Army, the unit was officially designated 'EMU', for Experimental Military Unit. This was fitting, given that the Emu is a native Australian bird, and in some ways comical as the Emu cannot fly."
http://www.navy.gov.au/history/squadron-histories/ran-helicopter-flight-...
While I acknowledge the main story is about an Australian tunnel rat, can I add to my above comment about the RAN helicopter flight serving with the 135th AHC and its eventual five casualties:
From https://www.faaaa.asn.au/ranhfv-roll-of-honour/
"On February 20 (1968), EMU helicopters assisted the 1st Australian Task Force in Operation Clayton, a cordon and search of the village of long Dien near Dat Do on Highway 23 in Phuoc Tut province. Two days later LCDR Vickers was fatally wounded while piloting the lead aircraft in a mission to lift out troops of the 18th Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) Division near Xuan Loc. Descending to the pick up zone, his aircraft was hit by enemy fire and LCDR Vickers was wounded. The co-pilot immediately flew the helicopter to Blackhorse, landing on the hospital pad within five minutes. Notwithstanding this prompt action LCDR Vickers died without regaining consciousness."
February 10, 2018
Thank you for your service indeed.
Myself service in Vietnam 1967 and my deepest gratitude to my fellow Veterans and there great sacrifice and talents to the cause. The cause is and was always Communism that displayed not just in the Vietnam conflict but in many arenas for to long and to damaging to body and cultural diplomacy to solve remedies for peace and tolerances to peoples that seek harmony is a very fragile with liberties for open states of living soulfully and joyfully.
jja Manhattan, N.Y. ( Trained MP - Stationed Long Bin outside of Saigon )
1
Although a fine personal account, there is a bit of irony at strategic level. The US lost Vietnam with over reliance on air power (including the war crimes of burning people alive with napalm and the lingering horrors of agent orange) while the Vietnamese won largely by tunneling underground. A village near the DMZ survived the most intensive bombing of an area (short of nuclear strike) by moving underground. To this day the Vietnamese honor the tunnels as monuments. Not only did the US commanders not understand the strategic advantage the opposition had by burrowing in the dirt, but now we learn they misapplied their most strategic advantage. Using tunnel rats to clear mines was a far worse waste of strategic assets than using B-52s to transport fresh water. The latter would not have made much of a difference, but the wasting the former led straight down the road to defeat.
3
I recall with fondness, my unit's Australian advisor, Squadron Leader Downey. He was a seasoned "jungle fighter" who imparted his wisdom to us Yanks. Thank you, Sapper Jim, for sharing your story.
3
Mmmm - good on you for remembering his name. Though "Squadron Leader" is a rank in our Air Force and I sincerely hope he never had to become a jungle fighter.
One of our bombers was shot down in 1970 and not found until 2009 - http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-04-21/missing-australian-bomber-found-in....
They were our last MIAs and one of its pilots is now at home and buried here in Canberra.
The courage these guys displayed was and is amazing. Most of us non-Vets have no concept of the fear and courage it takes to over-come that fear. Kudos to all of you. You have my deepest respect.
28
A very fine account. But it should be noted that "mentioned in dispatches" is a very high honor with a long history in the British tradition (shared by Canada and Australia). It carries its own decoration.
Like many aspects of that culture, its title is oblique and tends to be confusing to those outside it.
32
Actually as far as honours and awards go its the lowest on the list of British and commonwealth awards.
A similar incident occurred in Afghanistan back in 2006 where the guy directed the rescue after he and others had been severely wounded by old soviet era landmines. He died on the Casevac and was awarded the Highest civilian (and military when NOT in contact with the enemy) award the George Cross
1
From one Australian to another, thank you for your service.
28
I was in the 199th Light Infantry Brigade operating out of Long Bin. We seldom had the benefit of an expert in clearing mines and booby traps, and your services would have been most welcome.
On one occasion a dog detected some trip wires and our platoon leader sent 3 of us to "disarm" the booby traps. It was bad judgment for him to send me with the group - I knew nothing and was not particularly adroit. The other 2 knew what they were doing. As I was fumbling about trying to follow instruction, one of our little group shouted for me to stop and step away. He stepped over, disarmed the device, then said to me: "If I'm ever wounded and see you coming to help me, I'll shoot you." True story.
I always thought the Aussie's had the coolest hats!
54
And Land Rovers! And the officers (in dress, not fatigues) wore shorts!
1
Very well written. Vivid. Humble and visual. Thank you
41
A true hero.
Thank you Jim, you exhibited bravery and pride of duty that few of the current generation possess..
16
Why slur the young? Bravery and duty never go out of fashion; look at our wonderful young men and women serving all over the world.
47
Not to mention that it is almost always true that some Old Man is the one to start the war in the first place.
Not seeing much of either in the Trump Misadministration.
Thank you, Mr. Marett, for taking the time to write this piece.
29
Unbelievable what we ask our boys and young men to do.
43
And all of the time that we were sending our men in harm's way our leaders knew that it was a war in which we could not win!
67
yes, and some of then found reason to not do their duty by help of "bone spurs"...
Being a tunnel rat sounds terrifying: You enter into a small bright hole that makes you a perfectly outlined target. You have a flashlight, a squawking radio, and a handgun as you proceed into a space wherein your enemies' eyes are adjusted, and yours aren't. Gee, what could go wrong? Your life expectancy would seem to approach zero.
This is an enlightening account of our Australian allies in Vietnam. Many in the United States are unaware that Australia fought with us during the war. They endured the same dangers and hardships that American service members did, and it's important to remember their contributions and sacrifice.
Thank you for your service Sapper Marett.
93
Thanks for remembering that Australia was there, with 414 dead in battle.
https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/vietnam/statistics
My thanks to you for your service. You and all the men who served worked to save and protect so as many servicemen as possible could return home as well as to win the war, two very important objectives. Your service in a difficult time with much hardship and devotion to your country is to be commended.
15
Wow. Win the war? No Barbara, they lost the war. The other side won. Now we learn the US Commanders squandered their most important asset against the opposition's greatest strength - underground tunnels out of reach of air power, artillery, and surface infantry which ultimately were rendered useless and defeated. Don't forget a massive number of war crimes where these same US commanders burnt 2 million people to death with napalm ultimately for no good reason whatsoever. No thank you for any of that service. Not in my name or the name of any decent person no matter how much revisionists try to rewrite history.
1
Thank you for your service as a kid who didn't know much better.
A truly brave man, asked to perform tasks Americans should never have been asked to make.
I got away easy, the top of my foot/toes were able to be sewn back on.
26
Thanks for taking my place. Class of '73, lottery # 121.
14
I agree 100%.
Class of '74 lotto #105. They went to 100 if I remember correctly.
Always thought if I had been drafted and chose to go into the military
I would have volunteered for the Army and did Green Berets.
Wonder how I'd be different or if even I would have even survived.
Again thank you for your service.
I pray we do everything we can to make sure a draft lottery doesn't happen again. Even God or maybe especially God wouldn't want another Vietnam War. Hope nothing like it happens again.
It is happening again, and has been for quite a while
You didn't resist either.
I am taken aback by your courage and grit under those extremely difficult situations! I suspect you and your fellow "tunnel rats" saved the lives of many young Americans. I served as an Army JAG officer. Three of my children have served in different branches. I fear our current political leadership has no concept of the tragic consequences of war and trust hey will read this column and the others in this series.
49
wishful thinking -he has to know how to read first. Oh I forgot -he can read: the ON button on the TV.
Read? This president doesn't read. Send him some cartoons.
I recently visited Viet Nam voluntarily. In 1969 I did everything I could do to avoid an all expenses paid trip there courtesy of Uncle Sam. I would be interested in Jim Marett's impressions of his life as a tunnel Rat if he were to return today. My visit convinced me that resisting was the correct choice in ways that I hadn't even realized. The Viet Namese call it the American War.
32
Australia has been with the U.S. in every war of the last 100 years. Many thanks to their brave and devoted soldiers, sailors, and airmen.
69
A wonderful article. Just as many Americans are unaware of the role Australians played in the two world wars, many are unaware of the role they played in Vietnam. The tunnels are a place that many people on both sides can never forget, but it is good that we are made aware of the many things that happened to the tunnel rats that didn't directly involve tunnels.
29
Thank you Brother for well-capturing, that which is well-known to warriors. There are no friends like those you make when you go to war.
22
Thanks to Jim Marett for an amazing piece on the life and times of tunnel rats. I've enjoyed most of these Vietnam '67 pieces, but this was one of the best. You must be good at working with vets, with your mix of pride and humility. Best to you, man!
46
The Vietnam war was tragic for all concerned.
The North Vietnamese were willing to endure horrendous human losses to defend their country, and the U.S. military also suffered huge losses.
Now our two countries are at peace, and some of the wounds on both sides have healed.
Not so different from the U.S. vs. Germany and Japan, now at peace for some 70 years. It is a planet-wide blessing that humanity can move beyond these wars, though many unfortunate humans perished in the wars.
But I recall many credible stories about tunnels dug and used by the North Vietnamese.
So, I think we need to hear, in the pages of the NYT, about some of the North Vietnamese tunnel rats. Please give a voice to some on the other side. This would contribute to further healing on both sides.
43
Of course we can move on. Rarely are they wars of the people, by the people who inhabit them.
Usually they are wars thrust onto the people who inhabit them
1
A friend told about going into the tunnels, and marveling at the ingenuity of their construction. How they built, lit, ventilated, hid the things. Underground hospitals, etc. run off a single diesel motor.
He also told me this story: every night a perimeter was set up with trip wires to booby traps. Troops were gathered around a fire when a tiger appeared, checked them out, and left. He loved the jungle. Came back in one piece but with a serious distrust of authority.
I doubt that there were any North Vietnamese tunnel rats; the tunnels were mostly dug and maintained by the Viet Cong, who were southerners.
Thank you for sharing your experiences.
10
First question would be how did the American-made M16 mine end up causing so many Australian casualties?
19
The enemy disarmed them and used them. They also used to turn Claymore mines around to face the people who would detonate them.
The Vietnam conf and Vietnam and Vietnam Minh were well armed. With US weapons throughout the war
Same way Russian and Chinese ammunition killed our boys. Mines are indiscriminate.
Mr. Marett it was very informative for me to read your column. The U.S. Army infantry battalion in which I served had four infantry companies, a recon unit, and a ranger platoon detachment, operating north of you in Long Khanh Province. We moved from Binh Chan, southwest of Saigon, to Fire Support Base Blackhorse, in June 1969, to oppose the NVA 33rd Regiment and 205th VC Battalion, both of which operated in hundreds and hundreds of square kilometers of triple canopy jungle and rubber plantations with which you were familiar. Over the 12 months I served in that area my company on 3 occasions I remember served as either a blocking force for you Aussies, or a hammer toward your anvil.
My wife and I visited that region in February 2000 on a 3 week visit to Vietnam. The villages have been erased by modernity, highways cross terrain we had to cross with helicopters, and abandoned rubber groves thrive. Like you, the men with whom I served, and I, recall memories of the suffering and heroism we witnessed, by our men and our opponents, across that region. I think the next time I'm in Vietnam I want to hunt up some of the men who served in the NVA units and share a meal or tea or beer, or all of the preceding, and marvel at how we managed to survive it and toast our friends who didn't
Wish you the best.
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It is amazing that Vietnam has left veterans much like other wars where after the shooting there is a strange but real camaraderie.
When my daughter visited the Vietnamese tunnels and war monument she got an interesting answer why the Vietnamese did not talk more about the war. Simple answer: we won. Of course they had previously won against the Japanese and French. To them it was one long continuous war of independence of which the "American War" was really just another series of battles until victory.
Flash forward to today and unfortunately our "leadership" so misreads the Middle East that in 1,000 years their descendants will still remember each horror inflicted upon them in vivid detail. Of course that will join the horrors remembered a 1,000 years earlier from the Crusades which also will be as fresh as yesterday to them. What a difference a region makes. And, never, ever get into a religious war like we did in the Middle East, actually several different versions of them at once.
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Thanks for your honesty, Jim, and for the details. Few of us stateside knew what it was like to be a tunnel rat, nor did we realize how much of the job was clearing mines.
You and your comrades showed great courage and loyalty. I can only hope that today's young men leverage those qualities in peaceful endeavors. As the son of a colonel and father of a corporal, the military is in my blood, too, even though I had no intention of shedding any of it in Vietnam.
War is changing. As usual, the politicians and military are a step behind these changes. Let's hope today's soldiers learn fast, since a planet ravaged by climate change, starvation, and refugees will create many new sets of challenges.
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Roddy,
You, from a military family, had the courage to write, "I can only hope that today's young men leverage those qualities in peaceful endeavors.", and "Let's hope today's soldiers learn fast, since a planet ravaged by climate change, starvation, and refugees will create many new sets of challenges."
Thank you for adding to this essay's comments, what me must consider now and next.
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