Research Paper On The Cu Chi Tunnel

755 Words2 Pages

The Cu Chi Tunnels and Tunnel Rats
Imagine yourself as a nineteen year old boy headed off to Vietnam. It’s the late 60s and you were drafted into the Vietnam War. You watch as some of your friends flee the chance of fighting in a war where they have no idea what their fighting for. You watch as thousands of your countrymen die, too young to have been there. Imagine fighting an enemy that you can’t even see.
When the Viet Cong first began digging into the jungle floor of the Cu Chi District, it was the late 1940’s and Vietnam was under the control of the French. These underground spaces were originally made to hide the Viet Cong’s weaponry but as time went on they became clever hide outs for the Northern Vietnamese Army and the locals of the area. The tunnels were eventually named the Cu Chi Tunnels because that’s where they stemmed from. The sole purpose of these tunnels were to help the Viet Cong’s avoid aerial or land attacks. They also provided a new way to transport communications and supplies. The Cu Chi Tunnels were primarily handmade and took a total of 20 years to complete. The tunnels could be as small as 80 cm wide and 80 cm high. (The Cu Chi Tunnels…) Since they weren’t tall enough to walk through the Viet …show more content…

This idea made it easier to carry out their guerrilla tactics and be able to quickly disappear without a trace. They also took extra precautions and built small camouflaged booby traps nearby all of the entrances in case an enemy force came too close. These traps were made for one purpose to injure or kill the enemy. Ironically the traps were made of the scrap metal from American bomb shells. However, these tunnels were eventually discovered by chance by an American St. when he accidentally sat on one of the many booby traps. After this huge discovery the US and their allies decided to try and find a way to get inside the

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