Tunnel rat
The
tunnel rats were American soldiers who performed underground
search and destroy missions during the
Vietnam war. In the course of the war, the
Viet Cong created very extensive underground complexes. Whenever U.S. troops would uncover a tunnel, Tunnel Rats were sent in to kill any buried enemy and to plant
explosives to destroy the tunnels. A Tunnel Rat was equipped with only a semiautomatic
M1911 handgun and a flashlight.
The tunnels were very dangerous, with numerous booby traps and enemies lying in wait. Often there were flooded U-bends in the tunnels to trap gas. Guards manned holes on the sides of tunnels through which spears could be thrust impaling a crawling intruder.
Tunnel Rats were generally men of smaller stature, and were often of Puerto Rican descent.
The Tunnel Rats is also the name of a Punk Rock band from New Hampshire.
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