Looked for the fruit cans mostly, but some of the other items were tasty too. I think I was one of a few who actually liked ham and Limas. That was like eating the congealed fat from a canned ham. Moak said he wasnt worried about getting sick from any bacteria that may have gotten into the old can, because it looked sealed. Very well written and important for us who did not serve due to age ( too young) to learn about this, Excellent; Did not see mention of toothpick that you chewed one end for toothbrush ( sucked). Pleasure speaking to you. I will always remember that time 1967-68 I found that these meals are easy and quick to prepare and they rehydrate []. The Army colonel popped open an old military 'C' Ration can of pound cake from 1969 at his retirement ceremony, and dug in. There were times I ate the Cs and the dates were from the Korean years. $40.00 WW2 German Patronenkasten 88 Ammunition Crate $150.00 WW1 German Patronenkasten 88 Ammunition Crate $150.00 WW1 British and Commonwealth Biscuit Ration Crate $90.00 about fruit cocktail. C-rations featured options that included a variety of entrees, like spaghetti and meatballs, turkey loaf, ham and eggs, etc. I wanted to see the reality of what the soldiers had to endure. Toilet paper and mosquito juice in band on our steel pot to keep them dry. Where can I buy this rations ?I like this food too much. Due to health concerns, cigarettes were eliminated from the accessory packs in 1975. When out on missions, infantry units were re-supplied with food, water, ammunition, clothes and other items by helicopter every three to five days. Shop with confidence. There wasnt a USMarine anywhere near Saigon. The menu is comprised of one meat (meatloaf, beef tips, chicken, etc), mashed potatoes, veggies, cake or pie, ice-cold milk, lemonade and steaming, hot coffee. great footlocker or combat field pack display item. We went through East Germany on the Autobahn to Holiefields in Weat Germany for a training mission. Sold by kragsr4c07 in Great Falls Buy Now! or four? With the water pouring down on us. Give me pears or apricots any time. It was intended to be issued to U.S. military land forces when fresh food (A-ration) or packaged unprepared food (B-Ration) prepared in mess halls or field kitchens was impractical or not available, and when a survival ration (K-ration or D-ration) was insufficient. The brands I remember are: Marlboro, Winston, Camel, Pall Mall, Old Gold, Raleigh, Salem, Kool, Chesterfield, Newport & Lucky Strike . Miss those soldiers from our lives deeply. l would buy and eat them today if someone was to make em. Nate Hill, Pres, TAC Tankers Assn. Each ration was composed of a B-unit and a M-unit; total weight was approximately 7 pounds. If I admit to actually liking and trading for ham & lima beans, does that imply Im strange beyond? Always cigarettes, toilet paper and matches. And one day I plan on working as a flight RN / EMT-P as well as continuing to either work or volunteer as a firefighter. All those you show here was my usual meals at the jungle in Vietnam. The popular brands like Winston, Marlboro, Kools and Salem were always in short supply and benefited the non-smokers who used them to barter. The 1st Inf Div was not allowed beer in the field due to some previous incident. The only thing I miss was the instant coffee with the creamer and sugar. I too was in Berlin during the cold war. Through some investigation he found the manufacturer of it was Sara Lee. A small chunk of C-4 explosive could also be substituted for the Trioxin tablet for faster heating. description of C-Rations used in Vietnam: The small cans included in the meal were ideal for making a stove. C-rations combat rations. I will call and order. 2nd tour, NO problem, LOACH pilot and home every night if I didnt get shot down! He was not overly fond of them, but did eat to stay alive. The standard ration pack issued to infantrymen in Vietnam was the Australian Combat Ration (One Man). The military teaches you to be a thief . Only hot meal was the last morning for chow. I was raised on Spam in South Dakota and Minnesota since Spam is manufactured in Minn. To this day I enjoy Spam sandwiches!! Open the cracker can leaving the lid attached, fill half way with dirt, then drain some JP-4 from under the Huey in to the can. You, and all veterans have my utmost respect and admiration. We called our can openers a JOHN WAYNE or P38 it had a small hole in it and we would put it on our dog tags. It would swell up and we wood take it away from the exhaust port until it went back to its original size. A better stove was created by simply using the can opener end of a church key (a flat metal device designed to open soft drink and beer containers with a bottle opener on one end and can opener on the other commonly used before the invention of the pull tab and screw-off bottle top) to puncture triangular holes around the top and bottom rims of the can which resulted in a hotter fire and much less fumes. Yes they did in WWI, WWII and right up to Vietnam. MACTHAI advisor here. [] the bread and voila a toasted cheese sandwich. Hey me too other good ones were Beans and Balls Beans and Dicks Beef and Potato couldnt eat the egg thing spaghetti could not be cooked in the can, it would just rise up as a blob, cold top and burned bottom Ive got peaches, whos got the pound cake, I saved my ham & lima beans until we returned to the rear, then put the on the stove, boiling hot with a little hot sauce made me happy, Wow, how did we survive. Dan DMZ M/co 1969 USMC Hill 461 Sieara Rock Pile , Stud, LZ MAC chopper down! I was with the 173rd Airborne/2ndBn 503rd Infantry. My father was in the Korean War and war in Vietnam, near the end of his 20 year military service in the US Army. wished Id known that neat way of PBJ. Loved the article brought back a lot of memories. So I gave my last Cs to a Boy Scout Troop and switched to freeze-dried packets (civilian version of MREs) . On the way we had C-Rats, I liked the Ham and Lima beans, they were easy to trade for as a lot of guys like you did not like them. There are several websites dedicated to US military combat rations that show all the brands. Food was of secondary importance. Free Sample first six chapters of Cherries both Written and Audiobook, Author interview War & Life: Discussions with a Veteran, Feasting on the Frontlines: The Vietnam War Discussing Food History, A brief history of coffee in the US military | We Are The Mighty, A brief history of coffee in the US military. And to you Vietnam soldierswelcome home sincerely wished to you all. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Staf Sargent Larry Bailey. after this became the way of doing it. My favorite meal was SPICED BEEF and GRAVY with crackers and cheese. I am a VA RN and a volunteer wildland firefighter / EMT-B. Hated Ham and Lima beans. These reminiscences take me back. I remember the first c-ration meal we received. In 1976 I found the notebook in some old Marine stuff I was going through and I finally got to make the sauce,and it was pretty darn good. ;~) Helicopter Pilot. He dared anybody gutsy enough to join him, and retired Lt. Gen. Paul T. Mikolashek, who was theU.S. ArmyEurope commander when Moak served overseas, took an even bigger piece. Did you see how expensive they are on Ebay? I REMBER C-RATS I LIKED POUND CAKE AND RANGER PUDDINGDENNIS 4TH INF DIV 69-70, So cool, i love your post, I am from Vietnam. The C-4 was safe to use as long as it wasnt compressed or using too much at one time. I appreciate the education you help to provide and for keeping it real for those like myself who have never had these experiences. Beef and Rocks, Scrambled Rubber Eggs, Chili, Applesauce, and Shit Disks. son of the 2nd company president of McIlhenny Company from his experiences with C-Rations as a soldier during WWII came up with the idea to send soldiers copies of the Charlie Ration Cookbook filled with recipes for spicing up C-rations with Tabasco Pepper Sauce wrapped around two-ounce bottles of Tabasco Pepper Sauce along with a handful of a P-38 type can openers all in a waterproof canister. WWII US Army Marine Corps K- Ration inner wax box ration Dinner ad vertisement by noviopera. Thanks for your. Original Vietnam era US Military C Ration white plastic Spoon.From C Ration 382314172092. I was an US ARMY Veterinary food inspector from 1967 to 1987. 1st tour grunt recon, etc. I liked ham and limas. It was reported in the media that each soldier in Vietnam had a hot meal each day. The Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) was the name of canned wet combat rations issued by the United States Armed Forces from 1958 to 1980. While on this maneuver I celebrated my birthday by having grape jelly with my pound cake. You did a great job with this. Great articlebrings back many memories of the bad old days. Ha, ha! Even though America gov. At An Khe and Bong Son. Almost never saw heat tabs , we called them c tabs they didnt want us to have flames. It tasted like delicious warm and moist cake fresh from the bakery. Fox 2/7 Marines 0311 June 1969/June 1970. So it was c-rats for at least two meals a night. The 4 meals I remember are 1- chopped ham and eggs 2 beans and wieners 3- ham and lima beans 4- beefsteak and potatoes. We used to make stoves by using a can opener to open up the two sides of a small can on both sides (which were then pushed in). [1] Although officially a new ration, the MCI was derived from and very similar to the original C-Ration, and in fact continued to be called "C-Rations" by American troops throughout its production life as a combat ration (1958-1980). The ration had to contain meat, bread, canned fruit, and some kind of dessert. This is the food US soldiers ate when deployed in the Vietnam War.. Although officially a new ration, the MCI was derived from and very similar to the original C-Ration, and in fact continued to be called "C-Rations" by American troops throughout its production life as a combat ration (1958-1980). t004. one of the better memories of c rats. Now you could use an ammo box with a thousand rounds instead of the standard ammo box and metal feed chute limited to 300 rounds. My older sister, younger brother and I could only imagine what those canned meals tasted like. We were supplied by air drops and you ran to the pallet to get the best c ration unit.
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