Brave and Buried: The Untold Stories of Vietnam’s Tunnel Rats
On June 11, 1969, in Ba Ria city, Vung Tau province, Vietnam, a new guy arrived at the base to see a total mess. Just a few days earlier, a group of soldiers got hit by an M16 mine, which they called the “Jumping jack” because it leaped into the air when triggered. This mine killed three soldiers and wounded 24 others. Shortly after that, the enemy planted another mine that went off when a vehicle passed by, and this was the new guy’s first encounter with a dead body. In the middle of all this chaos, he had to quickly get used to his job.
The main guy in charge of the tunnels, nicknamed Yogi, had been hurt by mine explosions twice before, and you could still see the scars on him. He was the one showing the new guy the ropes. It wasn’t an easy gig, but they had to do it because things were really tough. This is the true story of an Australian soldier who took on one of the toughest jobs in the war — being a tunnel operator. But before we dive into his story, let’s talk about what this job was all about.
Before the Americans got involved in the fight against the Viet Cong, the French had been battling the Viet Minh from 1946 to 1954. During that time, the Viet Minh learned how to fight against a stronger force using guerrilla tactics. One of their tricks was to live underground, so they built a huge network of tunnels. By the time the Americans arrived in 1955, these tunnels were already pretty big, but it was the Viet Cong who took them to the next level.
During the Vietnam War, which the Vietnamese called the American War, the Viet Cong used these tunnels for all sorts of things. Even though the entrances were small, they led to complex tunnel systems with big underground areas. In these spaces, the Viet Cong ate, slept, and planned attacks against their enemies. These tunnels were like their headquarters, hospitals, homes, and storage rooms. The tunnels even had ventilation systems, so they could stay down there for a while. These tunnels weren’t just hiding spots — they were like secret worlds where they could be safe. Sometimes they’d pop out at night like sneaky snakes, set traps for the enemy, and then disappear without a trace. That’s how a lot of American and Australian soldiers got caught, by the hidden soldiers who hardly ever came out.
The Aussies were the first ones to take on the job of tunnel operators, but later the Americans joined in too. But honestly, not many people were eager to do this job. Imagine finding a tunnel entrance and having no idea where it goes or who’s in there. And it wasn’t just enemies they had to worry about — Vietnam’s hot climate had all sorts of dangerous animals. The Giant Centipede was super fast and could deliver painful bites. Then there were venomous snakes like the Banded Krait, Malayan Pit Viper, and King Cobra, just waiting to strike. And don’t forget about the ants, bats, rats, and even spiders. Going into these tunnels was as scary as being in a car with a famous criminal like Ted Bundy.
But they had to do it. They had to go into the tunnels to stop more soldiers from getting hurt by the Jumping Jack mines. Going into the tunnels not only let them fight the enemy soldiers but also helped them find and get rid of stockpiles of mines, grenades, and guns. There was a problem with weapons, though — the tunnels were so tight that they couldn’t carry big guns. They mostly had a pistol or revolver, a flashlight, a knife, and some explosives to blow up stuff they found.
Picture this: someone creeping through the dark with a flashlight in one hand and a pistol in the other. They spot an enemy, shoot their gun, and get blinded by the flash and deafened by the blast. Dirt starts falling from the ceiling, and they know they’ve got to get out fast. Little did they know, the Viet Cong had a nasty surprise waiting — poisonous gas. They couldn’t wear gas masks because they couldn’t see well with them. If the gas didn’t get them, there might be flooding or the tunnel could collapse, which happened sometimes due to poor construction. Only someone really brave would do this job.
Height was important; they mostly picked people shorter than 165 cm (5 feet 5 inches). This rule stuck around for years, even during the Afghanistan War when American and British soldiers faced similar challenges. But let’s get back to Vietnam and our Aussie soldier.
He got trained at the Australian Army’s School of Military Engineering. He actually wanted a job that involved more engineering and less fighting. But guess what? He ended up becoming a tunnel operator. That meant he had to learn how to find mines, disable traps, use explosives safely, and move through tunnels. When he got to Vietnam, things were a mess. Like I said, he saw the aftermath of that Jumping Jack mine explosion and all the M16 mines lying around. The Viet Cong kept these mines in the tunnels and set them out at night, so he had to search for them every day. So, his job was crucial — find those mines in the tunnels and get rid of them to keep everyone safe.
At first, he worked with another guy who was more experienced. After six months, he became the main tunnel operator and had to show a new guy the ropes. But his time as the second guy was short because he heard about the main operator, Yogi, getting hurt by a mine. Yogi lived, but you could still see the scars. Only three Australian soldiers who triggered mines came home without losing their limbs or their lives. Yogi was one of them, which showed just how dangerous their job was — that’s why most soldiers didn’t want to do it.
The Americans tried a different approach to the tunnels. Instead of going inside, they tried to destroy them from outside. They dropped a bunch of bombs on suspected tunnel spots to make them collapse, which would suffocate anyone inside. They also thought about using poisonous gas or flooding to get rid of the Viet Cong. But these plans didn’t work so well because the Viet Cong had built really strong tunnels. These tunnels could handle bombs, floods, and gas attacks. They were like zig-zag puzzles that made explosions less effective. That’s why the tunnel operators, or “tunnel rats,” were so important. Even though it was tough, most American soldiers actually volunteered for the job, even though it was dangerous and scary because of the centipedes, snakes, and risk of suffocation.
People had different reasons for volunteering. Some wanted to show off how tough they were. Others might have had a hard time in their regular lives and wanted to prove themselves. The tunnel rats were brave and essential because the other methods just didn’t work against the strong Viet Cong tunnels. One of the tunnel rats, CW Bowman, said his fellow soldiers thought he was a big risk-taker for doing this job. They even placed bets on whether he’d survive each mission. Unfortunately, some of the soldiers did get hurt, which showed that the US military’s approach had its weaknesses.
On these missions, the tunnel rats had a “shoot first, ask questions later” attitude. They’d fire their guns three times, then reload, to keep the enemy guessing. If a mission worked out and the tunnel rat got rid of the enemy and found what was in the tunnel, they’d discover all sorts of things. There were places for cooking, sleeping, and weapons, like rifle grenades, salt, and rice.
Even though some missions were successful, the overall American effort in the war faced a lot of challenges. The Viet Cong’s traps, like the Punji stake traps and other tricky devices, caused a lot of casualties among American soldiers. These traps weren’t just deadly — they also messed with the soldiers’ heads and made the war harder to win. Ho Chi Minh’s quote about the war’s odds showed how tough the Viet Cong really were.
This story tells us about all kinds of traps the Viet Cong set, from traps triggered by tripwires to dangerous spear and spike devices. They even used animals like scorpions and snakes to make exploring the tunnels even scarier. But the tunnel rats were necessary to find and disarm these traps and keep the soldiers safe.
The Americans needed to understand the layout of the tunnels and avoid surprises at night, so they sent the tunnel rats in. Successful operations like Operation Crimp and Operation Cedar Falls showed that this approach worked. But the Viet Cong were clever and kept adapting, which meant the cycle of destroying and rebuilding the tunnels never stopped.
We don’t know much about what happened to the tunnel rats, but it’s believed that most of them didn’t make it out alive. Out of about 100 tunnel rats, only 12 survived to talk about their experiences back in the US. One survivor, Jack Flowers, said he wasn’t a tough guy and wouldn’t wish those experiences on anyone. He’s glad that times have changed and there’s no need for such dangerous roles anymore.