10 What was a tunnel rat?

Answer 1

Tunnels rats were American soldiers that cleared Vietcong tunnels. Usually they were smaller in build, in order to get through the cramped, claustrophobic spaces that the Vietcong used as living and command quarters. The Cu Chi Tunnels, a vast tunnel complex that was dug by the Vietcong in the 1st Vietnam War (against the French), was discovered and cleared by American tunnel rats in 1966.

Tunnel rats carried a standard American military pistol, the M1911 pistol (.45 calibre), but, due to the recoil and loud noise it created in the small spaces, they usually carried their own preferred handguns. The rats also carried bayonets - which were usually used to test the ground for booby traps, but also used in close combat - and torches, mainly the standard American flashlights. Most rats also carried knives.