Dan DMZ M/co 1969 USMC Hill 461 Sieara Rock Pile , Stud, LZ MAC chopper down! But, Nuac mam still sucks ass! You did what you had to do and made it home to an undeservedly rough reception. Among the necessities or near-necessities were P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates, C rations, and two or three canteens of water. A couple of days later our friend David called and told us that there was a problem with the sauce. 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. 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. Good grief.that was 50 years ago and I had just turned 18. Loved the lerps when we could get them. They Tried! The daily ration of 3 meals provides approximately 3600 calories., 1 Beef w/Spiced Sauce, Halved Apricots, Peanut Butter, B-1 Unit crackers, candy, 2 Tuna Fish, Quartered Pears, Peanut Butter, B-1 Unit crackers, candy, 3 Ham and Eggs, Chopped, Quartered Pears, Peanut Butter, B-1 Unit crackers, candy, 4 Pork, Sliced, Cooked with Juices, Halved Apricots, Peanut Butter, B-1 Unit crackers, candy, 5 Beans w/Frankfurter Chunks in Tomato Sauce, Blackberry Jam, Fruitcake, B-2 Unit crackers, cocoa beverage powder, 6 Beef Slices and Potatoes w/Gravy, Pineapple Jam, Orange Nut Roll, B-2 Unit crackers, cocoa beverage powder, 7 Spaghetti w/Beef Chunks in Sauce, Peach Jam, Cinnamon Nut Roll, B-2 Unit crackers, cocoa beverage powder, 8 Beans w/Meat Balls in Tomato Sauce, Grape Jam, Pound Cake, B-2 Unit crackers, cocoa beverage powder, 9 Beefsteak, Sliced Peaches, Cheese Spread, Cheddar Plain, B-3 Unit crackers, candy, 10 Chicken or Turkey Boned, Cheese Spread, Cheddar Plain, Fruit Cocktail, B-3 Unit crackers, candy, 11 Ham Sliced, Cooked with Juices, Cheese Spread, Cheddar Plain, Fruit Cocktail, B-3 Unit crackers, candy, 12 Turkey Loaf, Cheese Spread, Cheddar Plain, Sliced Peaches, B-3 Unit crackers, candy. 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. But themilitarydiscourages eating from old rations. Do you remember your special recipes? U.S.A.F. My last CO loved them. A few of the troops didnt like to drink beer. These reminiscences take me back. WWII US Army Marine Corps K- Ration inner wax box ration Dinner ad vertisement by noviopera. We had the dubious honor of being the first Army ground unit deployed to VN in early May of 1965 from Okinawa and all enjoyed consuming our fair share of those gourmet C rations. I was barely more than a toddler during the Vietnam war, and am a non- veteran. Best dessert was peaches & pound cake, but you had to trade for stuff. During the 1960s C-ration cigarettes were identical to the sample packs of four that tobacco salesreps handed out to the public. I delivered beer to you guys. "The bread was awful. Gen. Walter S. McIlhenny. I ate C rats in Korea in 1960-61, and in Vietnam 65-66. In and around Quang Tri with side trips to Hue, Khe San & Dong Ha. Issued as one boxed ration per person per day. Hot BBQ beef. The Army colonel popped open an old military 'C' Ration can of pound cake from 1969 at his retirement ceremony, and dug in. I got ham and eggs. My dad knew few young kind and handsome American colleagues that I admired and impressed at that time. We sometimes ran out of C-rats, especially when we couldnt get resupply because the runway on our LZ was damaged by mortar attacks. Semper fi !! Voilatoasted cheese sandwich. C-ration cans inside our huge transmitter, and after a couple hours sending messages back and forth we could remove those cans and enjoy a delicious hot meal e.g., my favorite, Ragout of Beef. The 1st Inf Div was not allowed beer in the field due to some previous incident. 1 empty C-Ration box 1 toilet paper pack 1 book of matches 1 plastic spoon 1 P-38 can opener Open all 5 cans with the P-38 leaving the lids slightly attached on 2 biscuit cans. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Free shipping for many products! 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. OK, now that your memory is refreshed, do you remember how you cooked your C-Rations. Less known is that an unlikely snack . taste of C-rats in 1975 in basic training at Fort Polk La. HI ED- nam 69-70- remember c-rats well. (Ham and eggs) they were the worst. Always enjoyed the meals when I was out in the field. I carry my P38 that i had in Vietnam on my keychain. 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! And how did those taste? Also read a lot about their c-rat experiences too. An afternoon like this was a celebration, unfortunately, it only happened about once or twice a month. I lived on pound cake and chicken noodle soup cooked with a pinch of C4. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. A whole heat tab had to be used. Use the removed lid to cut 4 thin slices from the biscuit, toss the unused biscuits. 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). one of the better memories of c rats. It was reported in the media that each soldier in Vietnam had a hot meal each day. "Peanut butter and crackers was the best," Orbell said. Vietnam C Ration Cigarette : Top Picked from our Experts and more. I was raised on Spam in South Dakota and Minnesota since Spam is manufactured in Minn. To this day I enjoy Spam sandwiches!! Returned 13 months later via Tiger airlines to a civilian air port in LA & greeted by a lot of people flipping the bird at us. Give me pears or apricots any time. German military outfitter Bausenwein is offering brand new, reproduction C-rations. 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). It would explain a lot of the stupid decisions Ive made over the years. Semper Fi. BTW, I did some shows with Justin Wilson in New Orleans. For the new guys flying for the first time, we never let them know how to do it. I was with the 173rd Airborne/2ndBn 503rd Infantry. My Vietnamese would give me a rice ball, or a cooked and salted ballof chicken, or some fish with Nuoc Maum sometimes I carried a can of chili when I could get it at the PX in Saigon. 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. I remember the first time we got to sample some Cs just after we went threw the gas obstacle back in basic training. Abandoned my country, Vietnam, in 1975, but that did not make me hating them. There wasnt a USMarine anywhere near Saigon. lemon aid powder was good with some descent tasting water, [] https://charliecompany.org/2012/04/20/c-rations/ [], [] freeze dried meals Ive tried over the years didnt taste much better than the C rations I ate in the military. Gen. Walter S. McIlhenny 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. took the fire extinguisher and use it to get our cokes cold. Steve Miller You could buy cases of beer and soda too. Serving in the Marine corps the beef stew in cans, cold,! Ham and Limas was the favorite for this purpose. Hats off to all of you guys! l would buy and eat them today if someone was to make em. 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. So many times I got something other that ham & Lima so I made out in the bargain department. Every once in awhile they would send us out real food and some Beer and coke. after this became the way of doing it. C $19.38. got there 170 pounds left at a 110 pounds. Thanks for summing up all the C-ration experiences. C-rats. If somebody liked Lucky Strikes, Parliament, Chesterfields or Pall Malls, they would never run out. Check my other listings for different quantities. Never know when you may have to open a can of crackers! A second or B unit might include peanut butter and crackers, chocolate, gum, cigarettes, salt, pepper, and sugar, among other items. 1st tour grunt recon, etc. c-4 was the best for heating, some 4th inf. The blue heat tabs emitted a gas that would burn your eyes and c-4 was harder to locate for us. Most of them were manufactured the year I was born, or the next after. Very well written and important for us who did not serve due to age ( too young) to learn about this, Excellent; Being from MN was my home connection. I liked ham and limas. We had to heat them on the engine block of a truck or the exhaust grill of a tank. I really enjoyed Meat balls & beans. It would burn hotter and was much better for heating water. I did that too but I wondered sometimes if a 7.62 round could ignite it. Upon further review it becomes clear that the lists of "things" have a much deeper meaning and carry an abundance amount of . Semper Fi. Ron Perron Reblogged this on Cherries A Vietnam War Novel and commented: Heres a blast from the pasta favorite article by visitors posted over 4 yrs. The only drawback was that hot water was needed to make the meal edible, however, the weight of extra water was offset by the lightweight meals. Thank you for the information on the sauces. unopened vietnam c-ration accessory pack with cigarettes. The 4 meals I remember are 1- chopped ham and eggs 2 beans and wieners 3- ham and lima beans 4- beefsteak and potatoes. The short story, "The Things They Carried," written by Tim O'Brien (1990), appears to be an unpretentious narration that list the tangible items carried by the soldiers while fighting in the Vietnam War. Welcome back. I dont recall eating many of the meals warm. Moak got the drab olive can as a Marine helicopter pilot off the Vietnamese coast in 1973. 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 ( ? Listing is for 1x Pin Badges, please specify the design at checkout or a random ones will be sent out. Popular products. 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. I have an entire case of unopened C rations from 1969 for sale on Ebay right now. $90 VE-545 Can Opener from the C-Ration Crate. fruit cocktail about to down it and a 60mm blasted my can out Now I know why I lost 40 LBs. You are describing a military mess kit, but they were not used by most GIs in Viet Nam. I was a cold war veteran spending my 3 years in Germany, but we were issued them for field trips, alerts and exercises. Heating the meals and water required a small stove (see article below) with Sterno tabs or C-4 plastic explosive, the later burning very hot and fast preferred for quick meals. Replace with VO or whatever whiskey you can find. The Food Service Officer (Canadian Major) thought she got a deal on them. P-38! ONE ORIGINAL!! Find great deals on eBay for c rations cigarettes. Marvin J. Wolf, author of Abandoned In Hell, The Fight for Vietnams Firebase Kate.. Cigarettes were eliminated from rations in 1972. I lived on peaches & pound cake for breakfast with hot chocolate. Your email address will not be published. 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. Typical commercial brands issued in the cigarette rations in Vietnam were: Camel, Chesterfield, Kent, Kool, Lucky Strike, Marlboro, Pall Mall, Salem, or Winston. meal eggs always looked greenish . it seemed like that to me :)) , and shredded beef ( per my visual to call it as such) . I can only remember seeing cases of C-Rations stacked inside APCs along with several five-gallon containers of water when we came upon them in the jungle. That was like eating the congealed fat from a canned ham. To you and to all the crew chiefs and gunners, from the bottom of my heart, I say thank you. 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. the outer layer of clear plastic is starting to delaminate from the brown plastic. (LogOut/ from United Kingdom. 2.03M subscribers Subscribe 129K 9.7M views 6 years ago Check out this full review of a Vietnam War MCI or "C Ration"! USMC. Never saw anyone eat pound cake without spitting it out. Many boxes of C's had WWII dates, but the smokers still smoked the cigarettes from those old boxes. Heres a few of the photos from my page: http://1-22infantry.org/pics4/richard.htm. 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. I was an US ARMY Veterinary food inspector from 1967 to 1987. Pour out all of the heavy syrup, and 3.) Even for me being a FNG they were a treat but I didnt appreciate them as much as the old timers did. Often got Cs that had been packaged right after the Korean war. (Obviously some supply sergeant made himself a bunch of money.) Always cigarettes, toilet paper and matches. The can fit the input chute clip perfectly and provided a smooth curved surface for the linked 7.62s to feed ammo into the M-60. Those wonderful recipes that you made up so the Cs were more palatable. There was a time shortly after making my second move to a new area we got resupplied with a case of fresh onions by mistake. Ad vertisement from shop noviopera. Staf Sargent Larry Bailey. Four can openers are provided in each case of 12 meals. Nate Hill, Pres, TAC Tankers Assn. We got a hot meal in the jungle only after a firefight. all were palatable, but the peaches were outstanding. Smilesnada but smiles. Hated Ham and Lima beans. During the 1960s C-ration cigarettes were identical to the sample packs of four that tobacco salesreps handed out to the public. recovered jeep. Smoking in the services came under attack in the 1980s. Pleasure speaking to you. Ive heard so many stories of my fathers childhood in Vietnam; How hed rush out to the roadside and beg American soldiers for their B-Unit snacks, or how he, along with his brothers and cousins, would rummage through the wilderness in hopes of finding c-ration meals, but I was never quite able to picture the things he described in my mind. Thank you for your time. General Delivery Silver Springs Fl.34489 USA Original Vietnam era US Military C Ration white plastic Spoon.From C Ration 382314172092. I considered serving with the US Armed Forces on countless occasions however I have an old skateboarding injury in my foot and ankle and hardware that came with it that ultimately made me decide to serve domestically. Mostly they were awful but I was lucky. Warrant officer. 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. Dont have any Cs any more, but still got several P-38s, three still sealed in the brown paper. I got out of the field with 12 days left and went to Song Be. For sure peaches were like gold I was one of the few guys who didnt like them and could trade them for almost anything. It? Crash fire. They have the following menus: Ham & Eggs Ingredients: 82.5% whole egg, 9.3% of pork, onion, herbs, spices, salt, E250, E621, E300/E301, dextrose. 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 . A whole heat tab had to be used. PHU BAI, CAMP CARROLL, NAM 66/67. I always enjoyed the pears and it went great with the pound cake. In 1988 a friend of mine who owned an oyster bar/restaurant told me that he liked the sauce and wanted to know if I would make him some for his restaurant,which my wife and I did .We hand wrote the labels on notebook paper and scotch taped them to the bottles ,and gave them to our friend. In addition to the two carboard parts, you will need four cigarettes & two pieces of foil. Bill McD If I remember correctly, we used heating tablets in our stove to heat a can of whatever (no ham and lima beans for me) well I guess that qualifies as a hot meal. As I remember our C rats were marked 1941 &42. Only once was stupid enough to eat the WHOLE LRRP ration at onne, swells up pretty big after the water goes down! Would turn to soup. While serving in the Central Highlands with the 1/12th Inf. Marines were not great cooks, but they were inventive. Brings back memories of a distant time.. C-rations featured options that included a variety of entrees, like spaghetti and meatballs, turkey loaf, ham and eggs, etc. were dog rations and c rations the same thing? I miss the guys I hope all are doing well. Id buy several cases in an instant. Our operation moved from the Air Force sector to the other side of the Air Base about a million miles away from our Mess facility. Today Gover keeps a . Fox 2/7 Marines 0311 June 1969/June 1970. But I read as much as I can get my hands on about what it was like to have served in those times. Little known or unpopular brands. 4th infantry, Great article. Great articlebrings back many memories of the bad old days. Even though America gov. We always had plenty of rice. Moak got the drab olive can as a Marine helicopterpilotoff the Vietnamese coast in 1973. At An Khe and Bong Son. Really putrid stuff, For anyone who was there I was with VF213 flying Demons, flying hydraulic leaks! I get a lot of the cans of fruit cake. We learned how to cook rice in an ammo can and that Ham & MFs with greens, heated and served hot over the rice with some kimchee as a condiment was a decent meal. needs p38 please, thank you!my last original.took leave three yrs ago..jeep became stolen Good article. Never told 2nd Lts about the hazards of heating an un-opened can. The 10-in-1 Ration included packages with 10 cigarettes each. 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. They loved hearing how Tabasco Sauce made even C-rats mostly palatable. In 1968-69 I ate c-rations that were older than I was. Well not like from our great restaurants. Forty years later, Henry A. Moak, Jr., still loves his pound cake. Semper Fidelis. When I was in there were four: apricots, pears, fruit cocktail and peaches. Canned meals for use in the field. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vietnam war C-Ration Cigarette Pack Winston Repro at the best online prices at eBay! Then there was the white worms in red sauce. I had 2 brothers in the military, one in the marines, one in the army. i was in from 1966 to 1972. i never ate a c ration that was younger than me. Missed the initial one 4 years ago. Ive read some books by Vietnam vets and it was also mentioned how to use a c-rat can for the m60. I thought that smoking American cigarettes was a big mistake. I flew as a Crewchief on a UH-1C Gunship. Back in 1958 while flying the Pacific we had only Cs for flight lunches on aerial Tankers. THE C-RATIONS I ATE IN VIETNAM IN 1970 WERE DATED 1943 THATS 27 YRS OLD AND When I first got to Vietnam and was assigned to an infantry battalion in the field, I started eating Cs three meals per day. Sorry 11Bs I always took my favorite out first. Jerry. 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. I liked the Cs better. Give me an address and Ill send you one. It had a flavor I can not duplicate to this day. 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! It would swell up and we wood take it away from the exhaust port until it went back to its original size. Yuck. Stand tall and thank you for your service. These meals came in a case containing 12 meals. Since Cs were pre-cooked, they didnt need to be heated up, but it helped. Pingback: A brief history of coffee in the US military | We Are The Mighty, On the tug Agnes Foss we hauled a lot of C-rations around the coast and up rivers. Living in Florida, for years I kept a couple of cases of Cs on hand as part of my hurricane supplies. The foil pieces are 1.75"x1.75" and 1.75"x6" in size. Shop with confidence. Im also interested in the mail service during this time period. I have great memories of C-Rations. Anyway, you made my day this morning. The dehydrated pork and beef hockey pucks were supposed to be the big thing but the dried fruit was the best part. That part didn't last long after the war, as the dangers of smoking cigarettes became more widely known. I never went away hungry! I also still have my P-38. Any leads would be greatly appreciated! All those you show here was my usual meals at the jungle in Vietnam. And to you Vietnam soldierswelcome home sincerely wished to you all. Must have been around 2006 I was surfing the web trying to find guys I served with and to my surprise I found a website from the unit I served with, 1st bn 22nd inf, 4th inf division. wished Id known that neat way of PBJ. C rations boxes contained three meals for each of eight men. I remember that there were no hot meals and you learned the hard way what each unit in the box contained. 3-1969 to Feb 1970. Lots of exploded food and they had to clean up the tail of the ship. Got some Phillip Morris cigarettes in a dark brown package PM quit using the dark brown package in the late 1940s thats how old some of the Cs were. The local food in Thailand deserves its stellar reputation. $100 VE-546 Choice Vietnam Jungle Boots, size 12. The absolute worst, in my opinion, was the ham & eggs, chopped. Scan of original thanks to Dave Stieghan. The K-ration, developed by University of Minnesota physician Ancel Keys, provided three complete and balanced, 3,000-calorie meals in compact packages. Never ate either one of these meals while in country. What is wrong with me? Left out the crew chief version of a stove. Only down fall was it was instant heart burn. So, I have no military or Nam stories to tell, darn it! Today still add sugar to store hot ccco mix and eat it. Im writing a book which is fiction loosely based on my real experience for ages 10-14. Everything was always better with Tabbasco Sauce to spice it up. Through some investigation he found the manufacturer of it was Sara Lee. A stove was usually carried in the back pack or cargo pocket and used repeatedly until the metal began to fail. 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. Ill never eat C-Rations again, but I can remember when I was glad to have them. Back Vietnam Equipment VE-547 Choice Vietnam Jungle Boots, size 12. Stumbled across this interesting site. I was on Google looking up information on c-rat socks as this is a new term that I just learned and that is how I arrived here. I drew ham and eggs. This Nov. 1966 incident happened as his unit left Camp Carroll in the DMZ, walked north, and after two days were ambushed by the NVA and Viet Cong. Medevac. Thank you for taking the time to write this article. Cigarettes, once considered crucial to American fighting men, have sadly gone the way of the daily rum ration. The "Honcho Club". This is the food US soldiers ate when deployed in the Vietnam War.. 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. Thank you in advance! Beat the heck out of what we scrounged up to eat with our counterparts. The C-Ration was replaced in 1958 with the Meal Combat Individual (MCI). 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. Each soldier was issued three boxes per day containing breakfast, dinner and supper.