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Tunnel Rat: A Horrible Duty for a Soldier, But One of the Most Popular GI Goe Toys
Category: Gi Joe Toys Action FiguresI can honestly say that I may have headed for the hills of Canada and sought a good place to hide out if the U.S. Army would’ve dubbed me, Tunnel Rat. I think that may be the worst duty/position that a soldier would ever have to endure. Thank goodness I’m too tall and lanky to be crawling through tunnels and thank goodness the Iraqis did their fighting on top of the dirt instead of beneath it.
Also, it is notable that Tunnel Rat is an EOD Specialist as all tunnel rats were, especially during the Vietnam conflict. EOD… Explosive Ordinance Disposal… no thanks.
Tunnel rat is a very popular GI Joes toys action figure and was a very quick sell for Hasbro with little effort. He’s definitely one of the better looking GI Joe toys and Hasbro latched on to that coming out with 9 different versions starting in 1987 and finishing in 2005.
Tunnel Rat comes with a huge backpack, a large rifle (how he got that thing through the tunnels I don’t know) and removable flashlights.
According to Tunnel Rat’s GI Joe toys file card, he grew up mean on the streets of Brooklyn. He got a little meaner and a helluva lot tougher at the U.S. Army Ranger course at Fort Benning, GA. He honed his skills in live combat in Grenada.
Tunnel Rat joined the GI Joe team after Grenada appearing in both Marvel comics and G.I. Joe: The Movie (1987). The big rumor is that Tunnel Rat’s face was modeled after the GI Joe Toys comic writer Larry Hama.
Tunnel Rat still serves as a reservist on the GI Joes team.
Tunnel Rat GI Joe Toys Equipment
- Satchel
- Air Cooled 7.62mm Machine Gun with Infrared Scope
- Tunnel Floodlight System with Two Detachable Halogen Hand Lamps
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