Tunnel rat

The tunnel rats were American, Australian and New Zealander soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the Vietnam War.

Later, similar teams were used by the Soviet Army during the Soviet war in Afghanistan, and the Israel Defense Forces.

Vietnam War

During the Vietnam War "tunnel rat" became a more or less official specialty for volunteer infantrymen, primarily from the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Their motto was the Latin phrase "Non Gratus Rodentum"—"not worth a rat". Since the 1940s, during the war against the French colonial forces, the Viet Cong had created an extensive underground system of complexes. By the 1960s, there were underground hospitals, training grounds, storage facilities, headquarters and more. The Viet Cong, who were skilled at guerrilla warfare, might stay underground for several months at a time. The tunnels were their territory.

Whenever troops would uncover a tunnel, tunnel rats were sent in to kill any hiding enemy soldiers and to plant explosives to destroy the tunnels. A tunnel rat was equipped with only a standard issue .45 caliber pistol, a bayonet and a flashlight, although most tunnel rats were allowed to choose another pistol with which to arm themselves. The tunnels were very dangerous, with numerous booby traps and enemies lying in wait.

Tunnel rat (disambiguation)

Tunnel rat or similar can mean:

Tunnel Rat (G.I. Joe)

Tunnel Rat is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialist and debuted in 1987.

Profile

His real name is Nicky Lee, and his rank is that of sergeant E-5. Tunnel Rat is a Trinidadian Chinese who lived in Brooklyn, New York prior to joining the US Army. He received Ranger training at Fort Benning, and served time in Grenada. Tunnel Rat specializes in explosive ordnance disposal, and is familiar with most NATO and Warsaw Pact explosive devices.

The character's facial appearance is based on G.I. Joe comic book writer Larry Hama.

Comics

Marvel Comics

Tunnel Rat made his Marvel Comics series debut in Issue #59 (May 1987) of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, in which he was assigned for security to Thunder, Clutch, and Grand Slam. The entire team had been out for some time testing equipment. Tunnel Rat teaches Grand Slam all about the Joe credit cards, as the latter had been having problems with receiving his pay. The group joins up with Dusty, Crankcase, Hawk, Cross-Country, and Outback to take the equipment to Fort Carson, but Tunnel Rat's new payment method gets them attacked by Cobra forces. The Crimson Guardsman Fred VII, Raptor, and Cobra Commander track down the Joe convoy via Tunnel Rat's credit records, old intelligence and the abilities of Raptor's birds. Cobra Commander attacks the entire team in a Pogo Plane. Due to the limited maneuverability of the mountains, the battle is precarious for both sides. Clutch's driving skills saves the day but Cobra Commander escapes with the knowledge that Tunnel Rat has unwittingly given him.