Why Vietnam's Tunnel Operations Were the Most Dangerous Special Missions of the War

About this video

A former EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) specialist describes his tunnel operations in Vietnam, where he crawled through underground tunnels filled with wildlife like bats, centipedes, scorpions, and spiders to disarm booby traps and destroy stored supplies with C4 explosives. He recounts various EOD calls, including accidents with mortars and grenades, and reflects on having to remove explosives from dead enemy soldiers. Looking back, he argues that the Vietnam War was a waste and that the U.S. should have supported Vietnamese independence after WWII rather than allowing French recolonization, and he emphasizes that military interventions require clear goals, timelines, exit plans, and nation-building strategies.

Key takeaways

• The guest describes crawling through Vietnam’s laterite tunnels filled with dangerous wildlife, disarming booby traps, and spending up to two days on operations to destroy stored enemy supplies.
• The guest recounts various EOD calls including removing stuck mortars from tubes and investigating accidents caused by soldiers experimenting with explosives out of boredom.
• The guest reflects that Vietnam was a mistake and argues the U.S. should have supported Vietnamese independence after WWII; he believes successful military interventions require defined goals, timelines, exit strategies, and comprehensive nation-building plans like the Marshall Plan.

Episode details: published February 9, 2026 · 10K views · 28:19 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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