The military teaches you to be a thief . (Obviously some supply sergeant made himself a bunch of money.) US Army K-Rations, 1941-1945. | Minnesota Historical Society It would burn hotter and was much better for heating water. 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 ! Thanks for this article and thanks all American officers and soldiers in the field of VN war. yes i remember . German military outfitter Bausenwein is offering brand new, reproduction C-rations. Not to bad either! Got to Nam in July 68 an assigned as a pilot way down in the Delta. Vietnam War C-Ration Cigarette Pack Lucky Strike Repro Opens in a new window or tab. noviopera From shop noviopera. Living in Florida, for years I kept a couple of cases of Cs on hand as part of my hurricane supplies. The K-ration, developed by University of Minnesota physician Ancel Keys, provided three complete and balanced, 3,000-calorie meals in compact packages. Man do I remember C rations. $40 : VE-1124 Mortar carrier's shoulder pads, to support the metal barrel. Ha, ha! Replace with VO or whatever whiskey you can find. description of C-Rations used in Vietnam: The small cans included in the meal were ideal for making a stove. 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. If you read this and you would like to try it,just give me a call at 1-800-347-2823 and i would be happy to send you a free bottle. When were cigarettes removed from C rations? - Short-Fact 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. 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. He jokingly staggered back a few feet and loudly cleared his throat, while one person yelled out, Eeww, gross!. That went for Officers and enlisted men. I got my first Thanks for summing up all the C-ration experiences. Sitting in a bunker with a m60 in the monsoons I try to forget. It would explain a lot of the stupid decisions Ive made over the years. 3-1969 to Feb 1970. $100 VE-546 Choice Vietnam Jungle Boots, size 12. Serving in the Marine corps the beef stew in cans, cold,! Four can openers are provided in each case of 12 meals. This was so insightful to read! Ive read some books by Vietnam vets and it was also mentioned how to use a c-rat can for the m60. Stand tall and thank you for your service. $100.00 Vintage Complete Sealed Vintage Complete Sealed Vietnam Era Us C Rations Accessory Packet Wspoon Vintage Complete Sealed Vietnam Era Us C Rations Accessory Packet Wspoon. 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). 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. C-ration - Wikipedia I got to Vietnam in July 1967. Being from MN was my home connection. Gotta tell you that the ham and limas were the only c rat I couldnt eat and I love normal ham and limas,but the c rat version were way too salty, we called them the heavies. Great article, I was USMC 1966/67 Vietnam. Ive been missing those Olive can food image and its opener tool. Id buy several cases in an instant. Cigarettes were bad for your health along with bullets. 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. Havent heard that in eons. You are describing a military mess kit, but they were not used by most GIs in Viet Nam. Division base camps and some larger firebases had staffed mess halls, serving three hot meals every day. Vietnam Veteran Keeps Vow, Eats 40-Year-Old CakeFriday , July 24, 2009. Remember chunks of pork with an inch of grease on top. I would start out with a half gallon portable bladder and it was gone by afternoon. Typical commercial brands issued in the cigarette rations in Vietnam were: Camel, Chesterfield, Kent, Kool, Lucky Strike, Marlboro, Pall Mall, Salem, . What is wrong with me? This would include various survival items and rations. 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. Always cigarettes, toilet paper and matches. It was a common thing to trade C rations for cigarettes. A second or B unit might include peanut butter and crackers, chocolate, gum, cigarettes, salt, pepper, and sugar, among other items. Read about all of these, noticed that none of you brothers mentioned using the tin of peanut butter as a stove. 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 ( ? Photo via Wikipedia. I lived on peaches & pound cake for breakfast with hot chocolate. Ah! Yes they did in WWI, WWII and right up to Vietnam. C-rations and m-60 mechine gun and GOD are what got me through tough times . C-rations featured options that included a variety of entrees, like spaghetti and meatballs, turkey loaf, ham and eggs, etc. Marvin J. Wolf, author of Abandoned In Hell, The Fight for Vietnams Firebase Kate.. My dad knows what its called in Vietnamese, but has no clue what it is in English. THE C-RATIONS I ATE IN VIETNAM IN 1970 WERE DATED 1943 THATS 27 YRS OLD AND It was great when someone got a care package from homewe all shared. Opening a claymore , take a ball of c 4, light it Twelve different menus are included in the specification. 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! Also read a lot about their c-rat experiences too. Each usually consisted of a can of some basic course, a can of fruit, a packet of some type of dessert, a packet of powdered coca, a small pack of cigarettes, and two pieces of chewing gum. New Reproduction C-Rations Available - Soldier Systems Daily Currahee. Everyone I knew always had a John Wayne (P-38) can opener on his dogtag chain and a plastic spoon in his pocket. Meal, Combat, Individual ration | Vietnam War | Fandom were dog rations and c rations the same thing? Using a John Wayne (a P-38) pierce a series of closely spaced holes around the top and bottom rims of the can. Going through a box of memorabilia a couple days ago. The History of Military Rations - vfwpost2913.com We took them camping, my sister wanted corn dogs, which the bears ate as they passed thru our camp. WWII Cigarettes and other 1940s Smoking Reproductions Potable water ( without iodine tablets mixed) was difficult to obtain in the field. Left the nam brought one home should have seen the looks I got. Original Vietnam era US Military C Ration white plastic Spoon.From C Ration 382314172092. Three? Tellander Sgt USMC. Thanks Freddy Wright. 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. 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. For sure peaches were like gold I was one of the few guys who didnt like them and could trade them for almost anything. Every once in awhile they would send us out real food and some Beer and coke. ODE TO THE "C" RATION - Mazurland Blog I dont recall eating many of the meals warm. When were cigarettes removed from C rations? ;~) 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. A couple of days later our friend David called and told us that there was a problem with the sauce. It was illustrated by Fred Rhoads. My favorite C-ration dish was created as follows: 1.) I never went away hungry! just outside of Da Nang, we were working with the KMC. Helicopter Pilot. As the Doughboys went to France, the ration changed. Missed the initial one 4 years ago. 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. A must have item for your helmet display, uniform or gear. P-38! Gun Pilot, B3, the co co package. How Hershey's Chocolate Helped Power Allied Troops During WWII At An Khe and Bong Son. There are several websites dedicated to US military combat rations that show all the brands. The small cans included in the meal were ideal for making a stove. 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. 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. I flew as a Crewchief on a UH-1C Gunship. Thank you for the information on the sauces. The "Honcho Club". Really love your stories. But themilitarydiscourages eating from old rations. C-Ration Pizza - Vietnam Soldier I was 13. I Opened Some C-Rations From The Vietnam War And This Is What Happened Since your audience is mostly nam vets, Id guess ALL OF THEM remember c-rats. 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. Your email address will not be published. In 1975 they stopped putting cigarettes in rations which raised hell with US troops everywhere. He vowed to hang on to it until the day he retired, storing it in a box with other mementos. I did that too but I wondered sometimes if a 7.62 round could ignite it. It does take one way back. 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. This establishment made Beans and Meatballs in Tomato Sauce shipping thousands of cases a month out. SO, GOD BLESS YOU ALL. I remember the first c-ration meal we received. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. In addition to the two carboard parts, you will need four cigarettes & two pieces of foil. The C-ration (officially Field Ration . 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). I have the greatest respect for the grunts they did it with ingenuity and a lot of common sense. Scottie Hill CW4(Ret) Ret. I really enjoyed reading these replies about c-rations and your experiences in Vietnam. and heat a canteen cup of water and it provided you with quick hot water or c rations. The Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) was the name of canned wet combat rations issued by the United States Armed Forces from 1958 to 1980. The dehydrated pork and beef hockey pucks were supposed to be the big thing but the dried fruit was the best part. C-ration cigarettes were discontinued in 1972. I liked Ham and M..f That meant I always had plenty to eat. C-Rations were developed in 1938 as a replacement for reserve rations, which sustained troops during World War I, and consisted chiefly of canned corned beef or bacon and cans of hardtack. 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. $79.95 Vietnam Us Army And to you Vietnam soldierswelcome home sincerely wished to you all. all were palatable, but the peaches were outstanding.