HOLDFASTFebruary 2020 - Number 35 www.tunnelrats.com.au OffICIal NEWslEttER of thE VIETNAM TUNNNEL Rats AssoCIatION INC. THE DOCUMENTS CAPTURED BY AUSSIE TUNNEL RATS IDENTIFYING TOP VIET CONG OPERATIVES SHOULD HAVE CHANGED THE OUTCOME OF THE VIETNAM WAR BUT THE DOCUMENTS DISAPPEARED! NOSTALGIA PAGES 2 Tunnel Rats at the sharp end Nostalgia Pages Surrounded by the notorious razor sharp “Elephant Grass” several 3 Troop lads out on operations in 1970 await the next move by their infantry comrades. Seen (Left to right) are: Darryel Binns, Jock Wallace, Kenny Laughton and Pages of great pics from the past to “Rip” Kirby (unusually, wearing a helmet instead of a bush hat). amaze and amuse. Photo contribitions welcome. Send your favourite Vietnam Ready to roll gear pics (with descriptions, names and ap- prox dates) to Jim Marett 43 Heyington Place Toorak Vic 3142 or by email to:
[email protected] Holdfast Magazine Written and edited by Jim Marett For Tunnel Rats called out on a one-day operation (thus requiring no and published by the Vietnam rations or sleeping gear), this is what we carried: At the top is the Dems Bag Tunnel Rats Association containing sticks of C4 plastic explosive, DetCord, safety fuze and a pair of 43 Heyington Place pliers (detonators were carried separately for safety). Beside the bag is a Toorak Vic 3142 well-worn and superbly faded Bush Hat. And below that, the M-16 Armalite rifle. Below this is the utility belt (worn around the waist) which carries (from Tel: 03-9824 4967 left to right); a pouch containing rifle ammo magazines; then a small pouch Mobile: 0403 041 962 containing a metal tin with the detonators inside wrapped in cloth; two water
[email protected] bottles; a 9mm pistol in a holster; another water bottle, our bayonet; and www.tunnelrats.com.au another pouch containing rifle ammo magazines.