Even then I ate one like an apple but the fellows that had been there longer made c rat stew and threw in the onions. Everybody liked Pound Cake, but there was only (1) box per case that had it. This is the official Quartermaster's description of C-Rations used in Vietnam "The Meal, Combat, Individual, is designed for issue as the tactical situation dictates, either in individual units as a meal or in multiples of three as a complete ration. Well not like from our great restaurants. Forty years later, Henry A. Moak, Jr., still loves his pound cake. Thank you for taking the time to read this. U.S. Army photo Cigarettes were bad for your health along with bullets. Ham and Limas was the favorite for this purpose. If you want to learn more about the Vietnam War and its Warriors, then subscribe to this blog and get notified by email or your feed reader every time a new story, picture, video or changes occur on this website the button is located at the top right of this page. Funny story, Buzz. This isnt Larry Craft from Pittsburgh, is it? There were times I ate the Cs and the dates were from the Korean years. Each meal was in its own cardboard box, which contained the individual items sealed in cans. Jerry. Years later I wonder if the paint was lead based? I did that too but I wondered sometimes if a 7.62 round could ignite it. Vietnam War C-Ration Cigarette Pack Lucky Strike Repro Opens in a new window or tab. Typical commercial brands issued in the cigarette rations in Vietnam were: Camel, Chesterfield, Kent, Kool, Lucky Strike, Marlboro, Pall Mall, Salem, . Of course it was not their faults, soldiers , at first and second to be fair they needed to go home with their families. 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. Agree pound cake slice it mix choc sugar creamer make icing. 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. Vintage C Ration Accessory Pack, No Cigarettes $8.00 $5.85 shipping or Best Offer Vintage 1971 Vietnam Era Military C Ration Can Fortified Peanut Butter Kern Food $14.44 Was: $16.99 $4.31 shipping Only 1 left! Nuac mam.gag. 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. , Just looking at a can of Ham and MFers makes me wanna puke. 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. vet 69-73 does any one have a recipe for meat and beans? I want to thank all the men and women who served in Vietnam. Ahh, comfort food in the middle of the jungle. Often got Cs that had been packaged right after the Korean war. 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. Now I know why I lost 40 LBs. Great walk down memory lane. This is the official Quartermaster's description of C-Rations used in Vietnam "The Meal, Combat, Individual, is designed for issue as the tactical situation dictates, either in individual units as a meal or in multiples of three as a complete ration. In 1975 they stopped putting cigarettes in rations which raised hell with US troops everywhere. 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. Those wonderful recipes that you made up so the Cs were more palatable. shows storage age and wear and is still sealed. Chrissy My father was in the Korean War and war in Vietnam, near the end of his 20 year military service in the US Army. Some of the guys cannot stand to watch me eat one. Once I got some pancakes that had been stuffed down an elephant rubber. They came sealed in foil . When were cigarettes removed from C rations? the cigarettes are sold as a 50 year old collectible and are not intended for consumption. Glad to be on my way back to Goliad, TX so many of my buds were not so lucky. Everyone like cake after that. The dilemma here is that water is required for these and at almost three pounds per quart; the extra weight is a consideration. You could boil a canteen cup of water with a pea-size ball of it in 30 seconds. Hey, I think your website might be having browser compatibility issues. Right? canteens inside a canvas or nylon cover attached to web gear or ruck sacks, or the actual cans that C rations were canned. I always wanted to be in the military but because I about cut my foot off as a kid, I could not get in. 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. Loved the article brought back a lot of memories. Semper Fi. Spicy Beef, One of my favorite meat dishes in a case of Cs. Everything was always better with Tabbasco Sauce to spice it up. Took me back,soldier. Ive eaten both and they do indeed taste the same. Each menu contained approximately 1200 calories and consisted of: One canned meat course One canned fruit or cake Today Gover keeps a . We had C Rations to eat while in the Pentagon Oct 21st 1967 while the war protest march was going on. l drove a 5 ton dump and heated meals for everybody on the manifold a hot can of SOS in your belly goes a long way towards boosting your spirits. would love to find a rec for them now Shop with confidence. the outer layer of clear plastic is starting to delaminate from the brown plastic. 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. It was illustrated by Fred Rhoads. No heat tablets before Vietnam. So many times I got something other that ham & Lima so I made out in the bargain department. Vietnam C Rations and Stuff Cigarette Coupons Free Printable Free Coupons By Mail Newport Cigarettes Nostalgia Marlboro Cigarette Vintage Metal Signs Okinawa American History Vietnam War - included in each C-Ration; great for batering if a non-smoker Military Life Military History Military Food Veterans United Military Signs Military Ranks 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. CA. Photos of dissected original pack & other info is included in the pdf file. Kevin. Went back a few months ago, the whole country has changed. Toward the end of my tour, we began having access to the freeze-dried LRRP meals. Dont forget to stir before putting over fire. Ive often wondered since who made those peaches and if their product is still available. Despite the new name, the MCI was still popularly referred to by the troops as "C-Rations" (or "Charlie rats"), which it resembled in nearly all respects. We were supplied by air drops and you ran to the pallet to get the best c ration unit. Opening a claymore , take a ball of c 4, light it I ate C rats in Korea in 1960-61, and in Vietnam 65-66. TM 21 1965. and heat a canteen cup of water and it provided you with quick hot water or c rations. Not to bad either! You were the unsung heroes of Army aviation. He would flatly refuse to eat canned Spam when I was a young girl, saying it reminded him of those C rations! I liked the Cs better. (Ham and eggs) they were the worst. My dog would not eat the ham and lima beans. Blocks of c 4 began to be available, this spared claymores. the military mess kit also comes with a military fork, knife and spoon. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); My c-rations in 1965 that I ate in Vietnam were dated 1945 being 20 years old ! Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Thanks for your. 1 for 5 5 for 20 20 for 40 Keep an . Im writing a book which is fiction loosely based on my real experience for ages 10-14. It got to taste good warm after you got used to it. I was the lucky one that LIKED ham and Lima beans! 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. Brand New. The new menu (late 1968 onward) included good stuff like beans & weenies. or four? A typical . Well, my friends, let me refresh your memory and tell you everything you need to know but have forgotten about those wonderful meals. In 1968-69 I ate c-rations that were older than I was. My friend was in Vietnam and loved the pound cake. 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 ( ? However, none of us wanted to carry that much extra weight on our backs, instead, most settling for a single complete meal per day and extra cans of crackers, cakes and fruit to supplement their diet until the next resupply all stuffed into a sock and tied to the back of a rucksack. The blue heat tabs emitted a gas that would burn your eyes and c-4 was harder to locate for us. 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. 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. However, brilliant military minds said we could not eat there and our 12 hour shifts were intense preventing us from taking a journey to the other side. Best dessert was peaches & pound cake, but you had to trade for stuff. I cannot tell you how happy I am to have stumbled across your post! ;~) The C-ration (officially Field Ration . It tasted like delicious warm and moist cake fresh from the bakery. These things have left a deep impression on him, and he recalls to those memories fondly, despite the trying period his country was facing during that time. I was with the 15th Aerial Port Sq 1968-69, Da Nang. (LogOut/ A Marine tank commander serving in Vietnam in 1968 noted his unit was frequently supplied with older stocks of C-rations, complete with early 1950s dates on the cans. USMC 2/9 DA NANG , DONG HA, i was in from 1966 to 1972. i never ate a c ration that was younger than me. Wait until they run out of cigarettes and trade them for C-Rats. That part didn't last long after the war, as the dangers of smoking cigarettes became more widely known. ago. 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. During the monsoon season or in areas with rivers and streams, this is a moot point as water is plentiful! Voilatoasted cheese sandwich. Twelve different menus are included in the specification. When I had my first taste of LRP Rations I thought it was food for angels. It would swell up and we wood take it away from the exhaust port until it went back to its original size. Patrick Douglas Erb was there from Oct.20,1970-March 15,1971. Original Vietnam era US Military C Ration white plastic Spoon.From C Ration 382314172092. Fox 2/7 Marines 0311 June 1969/June 1970. The absolute worst, in my opinion, was the ham & eggs, chopped. taste of C-rats in 1975 in basic training at Fort Polk La. God bless you all. [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). Pingback: Remember C-Rations? Thanksgiving and Christmas 1967 saw one beer per guy allotted to the troops. Stand tall and thank you for your service. Balance food to be heated on bent over lid and can while fire heat main course. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for VINTAGE VEITNAM ERA MILITARY " C" RATIONS PACK OF CIGARETTES UNOPENED at the best online prices at eBay! DD345 - Liberty Pass. I found that these meals are easy and quick to prepare and they rehydrate []. Thanks for summing up all the C-ration experiences. 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. It? Semper Fi. 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. Gen. Walter S. McIlhenny. Cigarettes disappeared from rations in 1975, but their legacy was a . 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. I was in Vietnam with the Marines from 68-69. Hi mates, good paragraph and fastidious urging commented here, I am genuinely enjoying by these. 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. Nate Hill, Pres, TAC Tankers Assn. Same when I came out of the field and started eating mess-hall chow regularly. Sometimes I auction off a pack of cigarettes and the highest bidder will give me a whole C-Rat meal. $79.95 Vietnam Us Army $40 : VE-1124 Mortar carrier's shoulder pads, to support the metal barrel. When out on missions, infantry units were re-supplied with . Some of the meals werent too bad, especially if somebody from home sent Heinz-57 Sauce or Hot Sauce to doctor them up. Army here, 67-70, most of 70 spent in Vietnam. We burned and buried the last ones in the system in1986 in the Sinai desert. It would burn hotter and was much better for heating water. great footlocker or combat field pack display item. We got Cs from both the old menu (1950s and early 1960s) which included such delectable stuff as ham & mothers, beef & rocks, canned bread and so forth. A combination my Italian wife would cringe at. I too was in Berlin during the cold war. I would like to extend a huge THANK YOU to you, and every single veteran for your honor, your valor, and for sharing what little you had with my father and our family. 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. We never had cold meals. took the fire extinguisher and use it to get our cokes cold.