The line units were pulled out of the field on occasion, usually about once a month for three days, to enjoy home cooking, barbecues and ice-cold beer and soda a reward we always looked forward to. Good article. Meals such as beef stew, spaghetti and meatballs, chili and others were a wonderful diversion from the mundane canned food we were subjected to. got there 170 pounds left at a 110 pounds. When out on missions, infantry units were re-supplied with . Development began in 1938 with the . We always had plenty of rice. Do you remember your special recipes? He would flatly refuse to eat canned Spam when I was a young girl, saying it reminded him of those C rations! Gentlemen, I was wondering if you ever ate at a local shack/stall in town or did you ever go fishing? The VC had no heart pinned down one day took out my last Give me pears or apricots any time. I was the lucky one that LIKED ham and Lima beans! The C-Ration was replaced in 1958 with the Meal Combat Individual (MCI). He vowed to hang on to it until the day he retired, storing it in a box with other mementos. Division base camps and some larger firebases had staffed mess halls, serving three hot meals every day. about fruit cocktail. Left the nam brought one home should have seen the looks I got. There are several websites dedicated to US military combat rations that show all the brands. Message me for more detailed photos and orders in bulk. 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). I got pretty good at stealing C4 to cook with , and those LRRP rations . Four can openers are provided in each case of 12 meals. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Though intended only for use in combat conditions, troops often ate K-rations for weeks on end, and they quickly tired of the monotonous meals. These were the times that made it ok. Id get an onion from FSB mess tent and chop them up into whatever meat I was eating, thank god LURPs became widely available for the 2nd half of my tour because I just couldnt stomach Cs other than the fruit. Through some investigation he found the manufacturer of it was Sara Lee. Given the risks we do everything possible to ensure that overly aged rations are not consumed, said Lawrence Levine, a spokesman for the Defense Supply Center in Philadelphia. But, Nuac mam still sucks ass! C-packs also contained cartons of Cigaretts, M&Ms and other favorites, My dog would not eat the ham and lima beans. I served in Co. B, 1/12th, 1st Air Cav I 1967-68. Forgot to mention earlier that battalion sometimes surprises us during resupply and brings out hot food in thermos containers. A can opener (called both a John Wayne or a P-38) was needed to open the cans. Today still add sugar to store hot ccco mix and eat it. Explore Vietnam C Ration Cigarette with all the useful information below including suggestions, reviews, top brands, and related recipes,. I found this very interesting The Red Cross also distributedletters from school children, church groups and others for us to read and respond in kind. My two favorites were green eggs and ham and yes, ham and lima beans. or Best Offer +C $14.58 shipping. Military explosives? Pingback: Feasting on the Frontlines: The Vietnam War Discussing Food History. Brand New. It was a common thing to trade C rations for cigarettes. I explored the possibility of having the hardware removed and obtaining a medical waiver, but the consultation I received from docs and my own inner wisdom left me deciding on the path I am currently on. I was a high-speed radio operator (MOS 062) during the peacetime years 1955-58, after Korea and before Vietnam. OK, now that your memory is refreshed, do you remember how you cooked your C-Rations. Although the meat item can be eaten cold, it is more palatable when heated. Beans an winnies the best.ham and eggs always green no way I would eat it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This stove was satisfactory, but did not allow enough oxygen to enter which caused incomplete burning of the blue Trioxin heat tablet, causing fumes which irritated the eyes and respiratory tract. I do! What do you think? Heres a few of the photos from my page: http://1-22infantry.org/pics4/richard.htm. Life-saving use of rations! Daddys description was not very glowing! Loved the article brought back a lot of memories. taste of C-rats in 1975 in basic training at Fort Polk La. It was illustrated by Fred Rhoads. $50: VE-1125 Vietnam Grenade Carrier. Hot BBQ beef. Need Easy, Nutritious Food While Blacktail Deer Hunting. The "Honcho Club". During the 1960s C-ration cigarettes were identical to the sample packs of four that tobacco salesreps handed out to the public. Medevac. They learned quickly when the cans exploded and Messed up my airplane said the M/Sgt who was the flight engineer sitting across from the voltage regulators. Tastes just like it always did, Mikolashek mumbled with a mouthful of cake as Moak laughed and clapped. 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. Vietnam Equipment VE-547 Choice Vietnam Jungle Boots, size 12. A second or B unit might include peanut butter and crackers, chocolate, gum, cigarettes, salt, pepper, and sugar, among other items. These reminiscences take me back. Twelve different menus are included in the specification. Hi, FOR SALE! As an infantry unit our year was pretty much the same as yours. Its characteristics emphasize utility, flexibility of use, and more variety of food components than were included in the Ration, Combat, Individual (C Ration), which it replaces. These simple treats brought so much joy to my dad; It has sparked a lifelong love in him for them even to this day (the canned peanut butter and fruitcake to be exact). The MCI was intended as a modest improvement over the earlier canned Type C or C ration, with inclusion . While serving in the Central Highlands with the 1/12th Inf. Click Here for web printable Vietnam Boarding Pass. The Army also sends out a Sundries Pack or SP for each platoon, containing writing paper, envelopes, blue ink pens, foot powder, toothbrushes and paste, chewing gum, m&ms, Hershey bars, Almond Joy, Mounds, Three Musketeers, Snickers and assorted cartons of cigarettes providing us with many of the simple articles that helped make life a little easier. Yuck. Spicy Beef, One of my favorite meat dishes in a case of Cs. I remember that there were no hot meals and you learned the hard way what each unit in the box contained. So, I have no military or Nam stories to tell, darn it! We were supplied by air drops and you ran to the pallet to get the best c ration unit. Got to Nam in July 68 an assigned as a pilot way down in the Delta. As the Doughboys went to France, the ration changed. https://charliecompany.org/2012/04/20/c-rations/ Reply With []. As an infantry soldier in Vietnam, C-Rations was my sole source of nourishment for at least 300 of the 365 days I served in-country. All individual empty cans and trash were buried prior to leaving the table unless he had another use for one of the cans. We would get a hot meal maybe onced a month. Three? I was raised on Spam in South Dakota and Minnesota since Spam is manufactured in Minn. To this day I enjoy Spam sandwiches!! Corporal. We were the first army division in the first corps at that time. Vietnam War C-Ration Cigarette Pack Lucky Strike Repro Opens in a new window or tab. We had to heat them on the engine block of a truck or the exhaust grill of a tank. The one in the marines was stationed in ChuLai. We took them camping, my sister wanted corn dogs, which the bears ate as they passed thru our camp. Grab a small loaf of bahn-mi or baguette from the village baker with a can of boned chicken gently heated on the V-100 manifoldThat and a ba-moui-ba brewnot bad. vet 69-73 does any one have a recipe for meat and beans? . Your email address will not be published. I got my first made it somehow. Vietnam Era C-Ration Cigarette Pack www.hardscrabblefarm.com The photo above shows the components of the cigarette pack. What is wrong with me? The foil pieces are 1.75"x1.75" and 1.75"x6" in size. When we shut down to eat we would use our really long pliers to hold the meal as the ship was running down. These meals came in a case containing 12 meals. Should you have a question or comment about this article, then scroll down to the comment section below to leave your response. It's one of the most celebrated feats of World War II: On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 troops stormed the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day invasion . unopened vietnam c-ration accessory pack with cigarettes. We just throw a fragmentation hand grenade in the pond, which is usually a bomb crater, then all of the fish will come to the surface of the water dead. Remember chunks of pork with an inch of grease on top. $90 VE-545 Can Opener from the C-Ration Crate. would love to find a rec for them now I had 2 brothers in the military, one in the marines, one in the army. Never told 2nd Lts about the hazards of heating an un-opened can. Anyone able to help me out? Hats off to all of you guys! Every once in awhile they would send us out real food and some Beer and coke. My dad knew few young kind and handsome American colleagues that I admired and impressed at that time. Three of us hailed a cab & that older gent stopped & bought us a six pack. DONT HOW THEY PRESEVERED THEM BUT THEY DID A GOOG JOB TSGT CLARENCE C WOODY USAF. (Ham and eggs) they were the worst. VE-1226 Cigarette case from the 67TH TAC Recon Wing. Yes I remembered those olive canned food because my dad, VNs regime Officer before 1975, let me tried > canned of chocolate in foil, cake, peach, M&M, shredded pork ( ? It does take one way back. Hi mates, good paragraph and fastidious urging commented here, I am genuinely enjoying by these. Mostly they were awful but I was lucky. DD345 - Liberty Pass. I spent my early Navy years aboard the Lexington in the South China Sea and the worst meal I can remember was Spam in fruit cocktail glaze!! The C-Ration, or Type C ration, was an individual canned, pre-cooked, and prepared wet ration. In 1925, the meat ration was replaced with canned pork and beans. iI LOVE C RATION WISH I HAD SOME NOW I ATE THEM EVERY DY WHEN I WAS IN NAM I W THERE FOR 18 MONTH WIT THE 101 ST ABN. Well, with aSTOVEyou made, right? Beef and Rocks, Scrambled Rubber Eggs, Chili, Applesauce, and Shit Disks. I agree almost entirely with you assessment of taste and quality and preferences, with one exception: I was a combat photographer with the First Air Cav, and made it my personal mission to photograph an op from each of our original 8 infantry battalions , all of our artillery battalions, and the engineer and cavalry units, plus every company in the Aviation brigade. I was an infantry radio operator with the 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division, located in the Hiep Duc. Pingback: A brief history of coffee in the US military, Your website really help me and my grandson doing a paper on me. Pound Cake and Peaches were my favorite, Sometimes the VC beat us to the C-Packs when they were dropped in the jungle by chopper. The 1st Inf Div was not allowed beer in the field due to some previous incident. $45: VE-1225 Vietnam Boxed lock and keys. canteens inside a canvas or nylon cover attached to web gear or ruck sacks, or the actual cans that C rations were canned. Its chief use was to hold several ounces of insect repellant, which we then set afire and used in place of a heat tab, which were in short supply. | dng sng c. After a short naval round almost blew us away, I smoked too many of those Lucky Strike four packs and suffer today as a result. My dad died in Vietnam in 1965. What brands of cigarettes were in C-Rations? I was at minimum weight then. I was the in house inspector at Granite State packing from 72 until 75. $100 VE-546 Choice Vietnam Jungle Boots, size 12. Moat says though he warned his children over the years not to touch his pound cake, he did let them eat some other rations when they were growing up in the 1980s, including canned spaghetti and crackers. I was with the First Air Cavalry, (67-68) when we moved the whole division from An Khe to what eventually became Camp Evans, (we called it Tombstone, because we were camping in a Vietnamese cemetery) The first brigade of the 101st Airborne was under the operational control of the Cav at that time. needs p38 please, thank you!my last original.took leave three yrs ago..jeep became stolen I have so much respect & admiration for them. Sincere thanks to all of our military veterans who have bravely served our great country in times of war and ate their share of those C rations. When we were operating our radio nets in the outback wilds of Fort Riley, KS, wed put our Since I didnt smoke, the cigarette 5-packs (except Chesterfields, which nobody wanted) came in handy for that. I remember having to eat my C-Ration meal cold because we were either on the move or rushed to leave in the mornings. Everything was always better with Tabbasco Sauce to spice it up. Smilesnada but smiles. It smells good, Moak said as he put a handful in his mouth. Your email address will not be published. Fox 2/7 Marines 0311 June 1969/June 1970. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage K Brand Rabbit Family Ration Patch Logo Snapback Trucker Hat Cap USA at the best online prices at eBay! We would punch a few holes in the top of the can using a P38 and add a small amount of water and heat it for a bit with a piece of C4. Marvin J. Wolf, author of Abandoned In Hell, The Fight for Vietnams Firebase Kate.. Mass-2 Marine attached to the 3rd Marine Div. It was just what I needed. We would do the same process one more time and it would be ready to eat after you wiped it down to get as much black exhaust crap off and open it with your P38. one of the better memories of c rats. Being from MN was my home connection. We got a hot meal in the jungle only after a firefight. You, and all veterans have my utmost respect and admiration. When I told my idea to my wife,she looked at me and said,baby,youre crazy ! And thats how we started Crazy Jerrys sauce company in 1989 with our oyster,clam and everything else sauce. A must have item for your helmet display, uniform or gear. Photos of dissected original pack & other info is included in the pdf file. It would swell up and we wood take it away from the exhaust port until it went back to its original size. Right? Ham and Limas was the favorite for this purpose. Hey Fred, I was with the same unit as you except I was in B Company, August of 69 through June of 70. They were the best canned peaches Ive ever had. A strictly utilitarian use of C-rations for crew chiefs and gunners on our D model Hueys was to replace the M-60 feed chute with a can of Cs. The standard ration pack issued to infantrymen in Vietnam was the Australian Combat Ration (One Man). You don't want soldiers in war zones endangering their health! SO, GOD BLESS YOU ALL. Remember c rats well . (LogOut/ Gun Pilot, B3, the co co package. In 1966 during the Vietnam war Brig. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. I also still have my P-38. General Delivery Silver Springs Fl.34489 USA I remember the first c-ration meal we received. I had a couple bites but couldnt get the rest down. Tay Nihn..68 Nui Ba Din. It? Most were tossed because they didnt want to clean them or carry the extra bulk in favor of the canteen cup which fit around the canteen and in the pouch plus it made no noise while you were walking around compared to the rattle of the utensils in your mess kit. On rare occasions when allowed piled stones put tab in middle for stove. Though it had been given a new name, the MCI was in essence still the canned C ration of prior years. This isnt Larry Craft from Pittsburgh, is it? Im writing a book which is fiction loosely based on my real experience for ages 10-14. I did 3 tours 69-71 with Army artillery..Our 1st c rats were stamped 1946 and tasted no differnt than those made in the 60s..Beans and Weenies all the way! 1967 Vietnam c-rations box being opened for the first time in 43 years. 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. In 1975 they stopped putting cigarettes in rations which raised hell with US troops everywhere. I got a flashback Ill never forget those days Sometimes I would eat the pineapples, bananas or coconuts if I could get them. I got ham and eggs. So many times I got something other that ham & Lima so I made out in the bargain department. [] the bread and voila a toasted cheese sandwich. An afternoon like this was a celebration, unfortunately, it only happened about once or twice a month. U.S.A.F. I was there during the transition from C-Rats to MREs during the early 80s. It`s the meal that had the pound cake. Hated Ham and Lima beans. I always wanted to be in the military but because I about cut my foot off as a kid, I could not get in. Doc Shyab. It consisted of three meals sealed in a plastic bag together with items such as a can opener/spoon, matches, toilet paper, etc. Some of the guys cannot stand to watch me eat one. THE C-RATIONS I ATE IN VIETNAM IN 1970 WERE DATED 1943 THATS 27 YRS OLD AND There was always enough for seconds, but most of us passed as our shrunken stomachs have already overextended from a single helping of this gourmet meal. from United Kingdom. The ration had to contain meat, bread, canned fruit, and some kind of dessert. I miss the guys I hope all are doing well. The brothers always would trade for Menthols. (LogOut/ Technically, the C-ration of the Vietnam-era was a different thing than the World War II C-ration, but troops still called it a "C-rat," and it was very similar in packaging and content. Thanks for your interesting accounts, and for your service. Thank you so much. When absolutely necessary, Id empty the water and spoon in a can of cheese, melting it together with a ball of C-4. Would turn to soup. Anyway, you made my day this morning. During the 1960s C-ration cigarettes were identical to the sample packs of four that tobacco salesreps handed out to the public. This brought back memories from 68-69 in the jungles of the central highlands. $50: VE-1123 Vietnam period shoulder bag for machine gun . The dream of being a SEAL, US Marine, PJ, Delta, Recon, and the like is still very much alive within me to this day. And to you Vietnam soldierswelcome home sincerely wished to you all. Lots of exploded food and they had to clean up the tail of the ship. Service. Great. I was in Vietnam with the Marines from 68-69. Pall Mall, Luckies, Winston, Salem and Benson & Hedges Menthol were five of the brands found in Vietnam era field ration packets. just outside of Da Nang, we were working with the KMC. Meatballs and beans! Every C-Ration meal contained a single four-pack of cigarettes; ten different brands were primarily offered, but like the meals, some were more popular than others. Thanksgiving and Christmas 1967 saw one beer per guy allotted to the troops. Find great deals on eBay for c rations cigarettes. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. Matches The suggestion of including matches was done at the same time as the inclusion of the cigarettes. Smoking the local product might fool Mr. Charles. A whole heat tab had to be used. I was at Pleiku AB 67-68 and we used to open up the tin of peanut butter, take a match and light the top layer of oil, and it burned excellent! I want to thank all the men and women who served in Vietnam. That was like eating the congealed fat from a canned ham. wished Id known that neat way of PBJ. I was a dog handler in Vietnam 67-68.
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