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Tunnel Rat Mystery Cache

Hidden : 12/28/2015
Difficulty:
4 out of 5
Terrain:
3.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   other (other)

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Geocache Description:

I have taken the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis Trail to make it the Warriors and Brothers in Arms Trail.  I hope to provide a little education,  fun, challenge, and just maybe an appreciation for the generations of Americans who put their lives on the line so that we may enjoy our freedoms – to include Geocaching. These vignettes are not comprehensive histories – all factual errors are mine. If you find an error, contact me so that I can fix it.


Cache is not at the posted location

The tunnel rats were American, and New Zealand soldiers who performed underground search and destroy missions during the 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 Gratum Anus Rodentum"—"not worth a rat's ass". Since the 1940s, during the war against the French colonial forces, they 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 crack forces highly 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. If a tunnel rat found something ROTten they'd have to reverse their wayback out the tunnel.

The tunnels presented many potential threats: enemy soldiers manned holes on the sides of tunnels through which spears could be thrust, impaling a crawling intruder. Not only were there human enemies, but also dangerous creatures, such as snakes (including venomous ones, sometimes placed there as living booby traps), rats, spiders, and ants. Bats also roosted in the tunnels, though they were a harmless nuisance if awakened. Often there were flooded U-bends in the tunnels to trap poison gas. Underground, gas could be a very deadly weapon, and a tunnel rat might choose to go into the tunnels wearing a gas mask as it would be impossible to put one on in a narrow tunnel. More often than not, however, a tunnel rat would take his chances without a gas mask, as it made even harder to see, hear and breathe in the narrow, dark tunnels.

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Additional Hints (Decrypt)

zntargvp?

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)