34 watchers I collect all of the C-Rats rejects and I have plenty to eat. The 1st Inf Div was not allowed beer in the field due to some previous incident. I was in Vietnam with the Marines from 68-69. 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. 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. C-Rations varied considerably through their 20 plus year service. During the 1960s C-ration cigarettes were identical to the sample packs of four that tobacco salesreps handed out to the public. I would have beer almost every day. A generation full of Peace&Love did not belong in Vietnam ever! I was raised on Spam in South Dakota and Minnesota since Spam is manufactured in Minn. To this day I enjoy Spam sandwiches!! We were supplied by air drops and you ran to the pallet to get the best c ration unit. At topa C-ration with P-38 can opener. Jerry. Gentlemen, I was wondering if you ever ate at a local shack/stall in town or did you ever go fishing? During the 1960s C-ration cigarettes were identical to the sample packs of four that tobacco salesreps handed out to the public. The "Honcho Club". Patrick Douglas Erb was there from Oct.20,1970-March 15,1971. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Bill McD I was the in house inspector at Granite State packing from 72 until 75. Using a John Wayne (a P-38) pierce a series of closely spaced holes around the top and bottom rims of the can. Voilatoasted cheese sandwich. 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. C $19.38. Levine named the threats as mold and deadly botulism if the sealing on the food has been broken, which isnt always visible. 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. What I have here are various types of B units from year . Mostly they were awful but I was lucky. Message me for more detailed photos and orders in bulk. Click Here for web printable Vietnam Boarding Pass. My last CO loved them. We had c-rats (MCIs) in basic and in Germany on FTX until about 83, then we got MREs over there. These were the times that made it ok. Id buy several cases in an instant. 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. Since I didnt smoke, the cigarette 5-packs (except Chesterfields, which nobody wanted) came in handy for that. I will always remember that time 1967-68 During the monsoon season or in areas with rivers and streams, this is a moot point as water is plentiful! Every thing else not to bad. Dont have any Cs any more, but still got several P-38s, three still sealed in the brown paper. Thanks for your. There are several websites dedicated to US military combat rations that show all the brands. Everything was always better with Tabbasco Sauce to spice it up. Not sure how the armor units split their meals. C-Ration: Development began in 1938 and was completed between 1941 and 1945. Never ate either one of these meals while in country. Although the meat item can be eaten cold, it is more palatable when heated. Lots of exploded food and they had to clean up the tail of the ship. 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. 1 for 5 5 for 20 20 for 40 Keep an . 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 ! My favorite recipewas to get a can of bread from the B-3 unit and a can of cheese from a B-2 unit; open both cans but do not take off the lid; place both cans in an empty B Unit box; light the box on fire until it burns completely; remove the bread and open it; pour the melted cheese over the bread and voila a toasted cheese sandwich. Of course it was not their faults, soldiers , at first and second to be fair they needed to go home with their families. 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. I think I was one of a few who actually liked ham and Limas. Staf Sargent Larry Bailey. I want to thank all the men and women who served in Vietnam. Would turn to soup. I do remember about a week after I was out in the field we received a case of onions by mistake. in Nam and why I dont like fruit cocktail to this day.In the last part of my tour, it was pecan roll and coffee. This isnt Larry Craft from Pittsburgh, is it? C-Rations FSN 8970-577-4513 Specification MIL-M-35048 First procured in 1961, the Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) weighed just under 2 pounds and was produced in 12 different menus. Pork Slices Ingredients: You did what you had to do and made it home to an undeservedly rough reception. Fishing? Photo via Wikipedia. Opening a claymore , take a ball of c 4, light it A couple of days later our friend David called and told us that there was a problem with the sauce. Very interesting. 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. 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. Do you remember your special recipes? Wait until they run out of cigarettes and trade them for C-Rats. You did a great job with this. Food was of secondary importance. Dear Chrissy, Almost never saw heat tabs , we called them c tabs they didnt want us to have flames. We just heated ours with a ball of C-4, i.e., after opening the can. from United Kingdom. $45: VE-1225 Vietnam Boxed lock and keys. Crash fire. Wow brings back a lot of memories. Hats off to all of you guys! It woul heat a bunch of c-rats. I remember having to eat my C-Ration meal cold because we were either on the move or rushed to leave in the mornings. 2. Remember chunks of pork with an inch of grease on top. I am a VA RN and a volunteer wildland firefighter / EMT-B. It got to taste good warm after you got used to it. Had to have Tabasco sauce for the C rats. God bless you all. That part didn't last long after the war, as the dangers of smoking cigarettes became more widely known. Typical commercial brands issued in the cigarette ration were: Camel, Chesterfield, Kent, Kool, Lucky Strike, Marlboro, Pall Mall, Salem, or Winston. Original Vietnam era US Military C Ration white plastic Spoon.From C Ration 382314172092. The Food Service Officer (Canadian Major) thought she got a deal on them. Thank you so much. Today still add sugar to store hot ccco mix and eat it. I came from Landisville PA in Lancaster County that was only 12 miles from Lititz. Ive been missing those Olive can food image and its opener tool. 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! Beat the heck out of what we scrounged up to eat with our counterparts. Reproduction WW2 German MP40 Transit Case $350.00 WW2 K Ration Heavy Duty Cardboard Packing Box (10 in 1, K Ration, Heffenreffer Beer.) Close to Mom!s chocolate cookie mix before she put on the cooking ban to bake. I have the greatest respect for the grunts they did it with ingenuity and a lot of common sense. This establishment made Beans and Meatballs in Tomato Sauce shipping thousands of cases a month out. SO, GOD BLESS YOU ALL. Beef and Rocks, Scrambled Rubber Eggs, Chili, Applesauce, and Shit Disks. I have great memories of C-Rations. Since your audience is mostly nam vets, Id guess ALL OF THEM remember c-rats. Hot or room temp, either way I always got a major bought of heart burn shortly after consuming the spiced beef. after this became the way of doing it. The heat tabs gave off exhaust like tear gas, which could drive guys out of a tent or bunker, so a little C-4 was just the thing burned hot and clean, and no danger of exploding because C-4 was a stable substance. My dad died in Vietnam in 1965. Everybody liked Pound Cake, but there was only (1) box per case that had it. Always enjoyed the meals when I was out in the field. George Newport dynamite and dirt merchant Combat Engineer. It was a luck of the draw right after we went through the gas obstacle coarse at basic training. Pingback: Feasting on the Frontlines: The Vietnam War Discussing Food History. 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. Due to health concerns, cigarettes were eliminated from the accessory packs in 1975. We had would get rations of beer and soda dropped off often in the jungles. We already carried 4 5 quart canteens to keep hydrated until the next resupply. Click Here for web printable Marlboro Cigarettes from C-Ration Accessory Pack. I too was in Berlin during the cold war. I think the onions were gone in a matter of a few days. one of the better memories of c rats. Dont forget to stir before putting over fire. 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. I remember that there were no hot meals and you learned the hard way what each unit in the box contained. The C-Ration was replaced in 1958 with the Meal Combat Individual (MCI). Agree pound cake slice it mix choc sugar creamer make icing. THE C-RATIONS I ATE IN VIETNAM IN 1970 WERE DATED 1943 THATS 27 YRS OLD AND Being from MN was my home connection. Tastes just like it always did, Mikolashek mumbled with a mouthful of cake as Moak laughed and clapped. I always wanted to be in the military but because I about cut my foot off as a kid, I could not get in. And how did those taste? Vietnam Us Army Usgi C Ration Boxes Sold by militarydepotga in Woodstock Buy Now! The Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) was the name of canned wet combat rations issued by the United States Armed Forces from 1958 to 1980, when it was replaced by the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE). I had a couple bites but couldnt get the rest down. Thanks Freddy Wright. Free shipping for many products! Going through a box of memorabilia a couple days ago. Hey, I think your website might be having browser compatibility issues. About C-Rations. Our company left San Diego with a Navy Band giving us Marines a memorable send off. Each ration was composed of a B-unit and a M-unit; total weight was approximately 7 pounds. you have any idea how the mean and beans were made have never found a close substitute for them. The ration was very heavy, weighing 5 lbs . We called it Coco mo. Camel Cigarettes C-Ration Vietnam Era Vietnam 2 Quart Canteen M1967 Cover Mint 1972 Air Defense Artillery Guidon 1st of the 59th Sleeping Bag Carrier Strap Assembly Vietnam era Vietnam Era Flyers Kit Bag 1972 Vietnam era 1968 Lubricating Oil Tin O-190 Vietnam era 1971 Medium Weapons Oil Bottle Vietnam era 1969 Rifle Bore Cleaner 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. 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. I do! 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). crispy critters burn victims CS 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. Dan DMZ M/co 1969 USMC Hill 461 Sieara Rock Pile , Stud, LZ MAC chopper down! (LogOut/ C rations boxes contained three meals for each of eight men. . Army here, 67-70, most of 70 spent in Vietnam. Love the pound cake especially if you saved the fruit cocktail and ate them together. t004. Smilesnada but smiles. In the field 90% of my tour. They are not any where near as sensitive as civilian explosives. The Armycolonelpopped open an old military C Ration can of pound cake from 1969 at his retirement ceremony, and dug in. Heres a few of the photos from my page: http://1-22infantry.org/pics4/richard.htm. 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. 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. These reminiscences take me back. DD345 - Liberty Pass. were dog rations and c rations the same thing? Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Welcome back. In 1968-69 I ate c-rations that were older than I was. Well, my friends, let me refresh your memory and tell you everything you need to know but have forgotten about those wonderful meals. The dilemma here is that water is required for these and at almost three pounds per quart; the extra weight is a consideration. I never went away hungry! My favorite was, Ham & Eggs Chopped. Pall Mall, Luckies, Winston, Salem and Benson & Hedges Menthol were five of the brands found in Vietnam era field ration packets. Reunion 2006 Grand Lakes O The Cherokees,OK, Audie Murphy Presidential Medal ofFreedom, https://charliecompany.org/2012/04/20/c-rations/, http://1-22infantry.org/pics4/richard.htm, Army C Rations: 21 Cool Facts - Citizen Soldier Resource Center. $40 : VE-1124 Mortar carrier's shoulder pads, to support the metal barrel. This is the food US soldiers ate when deployed in the Vietnam War.. It was illustrated by Fred Rhoads. That was when I had the idea to start my own sauce company. As a historian, these are important details as even food technologies change. made it somehow. 1966-67 It would burn hotter and was much better for heating water. One thing I remember about Cs was the fruit. Vietnam War C-Ration Cigarette Pack Lucky Strike Repro Opens in a new window or tab. All individual empty cans and trash were buried prior to leaving the table unless he had another use for one of the cans. I remember the first c-ration meal we received. Many boxes of C's had WWII dates, but the smokers still smoked the cigarettes from those old boxes. But it was usually raining. I was there during the transition from C-Rats to MREs during the early 80s. Military C-Ration Peanut Butter Can Unopened Cinderella Foods Inc Dawson Ga $13.00 $17.05 shipping Each complete meal contains approximately 1200 calories. 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. Only hot meal was the last morning for chow. I remember the first time we got to sample some Cs just after we went threw the gas obstacle back in basic training. The dehydrated pork and beef hockey pucks were supposed to be the big thing but the dried fruit was the best part. With the water pouring down on us. The section on C-rations brought waves of memories of those days. It tasted like the congealed fat from a canned ham. When were cigarettes removed from C rations? When out on missions, infantry units were re-supplied with . Best dessert was peaches & pound cake, but you had to trade for stuff. I always enjoyed the pears and it went great with the pound cake. Water was critical. Anyone able to help me out? My older sister, younger brother and I could only imagine what those canned meals tasted like. On the rare occasion when we got a fresh bag lunch sandwich some kinda fruit and a couple boiled eggs it was egg salad time what a treet. You are describing a military mess kit, but they were not used by most GIs in Viet Nam. The standard ration pack issued to infantrymen in Vietnam was the Australian Combat Ration (One Man). Brings back a lot of memories. It tasted like delicious warm and moist cake fresh from the bakery. To eating our faithful C rations. As I recall, only about 30% of the soldiers in my platoon did not smoke. Those wonderful recipes that you made up so the Cs were more palatable. 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. I thank each of you for all you have done and all the countless sacrifices you made. Ur full of it Old Marine. 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. Marines were not great cooks, but they were inventive. We had to heat them on the engine block of a truck or the exhaust grill of a tank. Three of us hailed a cab & that older gent stopped & bought us a six pack. I was a crechief on Hueys who resupplied you guys. I also still have my P-38. 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. 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. Gun Pilot, B3, the co co package. loved getting the ham and eggs or beanie weenies pound cake with a melted John Wayne bar over it was heaven crackers were really funky l thought. Answer (1 of 10): I served in the Regular Army, Feb. '61- Feb. '64 and saw many brands of 5 cigarette packs in the C-Rations that we were issued. I say all and families because a Military person has or had people waiting for them and worrying about them. You could boil a canteen cup of water with a pea-size ball of it in 30 seconds. C-Rations used in Vietnam This is the official US 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. 4.) Cut the canned roll in half, spooning the can of cheese inside, put back in can, fold over the can top, put back in c-rat box and light the box on fire. I mixed the cocoa powder, coffee powder and creamer in hot water for a tolerable beverage. You could take a rats head off at 20 feet with them. Last time I tried to replace my Cs the price had gone out of sight. My dad knows what its called in Vietnamese, but has no clue what it is in English. 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. Steve Miller $50: VE-1123 Vietnam period shoulder bag for machine gun . Daddys description was not very glowing! I have an entire case of unopened C rations from 1969 for sale on Ebay right now. A stove was usually carried in the back pack or cargo pocket and used repeatedly until the metal began to fail. Always let the FNGs learn a lesson the hard way. As a Army pilot, I knew this well. DONT HOW THEY PRESEVERED THEM BUT THEY DID A GOOG JOB TSGT CLARENCE C WOODY USAF. 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. Thank you for your time. Back in 1958 while flying the Pacific we had only Cs for flight lunches on aerial Tankers. 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. Oh, the memories. We were at the end of the supply line so we ate a lot of C-rations. it seemed like that to me :)) , and shredded beef ( per my visual to call it as such) . My dog would not eat the ham and lima beans. Missed the initial one 4 years ago. I was always thankful that there was a medic around after I ate the Spiced Beef. 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. Fox 2/7 Marines 0311 June 1969/June 1970. Remember c rats well . Marvin J. Wolf, author of Abandoned In Hell, The Fight for Vietnams Firebase Kate.. 2nd tour, NO problem, LOACH pilot and home every night if I didnt get shot down! When I had my first taste of LRP Rations I thought it was food for angels. Funny story, Buzz. It was illustrated by Fred Rhoads. After a formal retirement ceremony, dozens of friends and relatives joined Moak in the Pentagons Hall of Heroes as he opened the can to cheers. 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. 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. So, I have no military or Nam stories to tell, darn it! There was also a separate "tobacco . Our squad leader was fairturned all Cs upside down and would mix up..then we would pick..No Fear!! I miss the guys I hope all are doing well. Gen. Walter S. McIlhenny. Pound cake was one f the favorites in my platoon. The brands I remember are: Marlboro, Winston, Camel, Pall Mall, Old Gold, Raleigh, Salem, Kool, Chesterfield, Newport & Lucky Strike . Where can I buy this rations ?I like this food too much. 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. It`s the meal that had the pound cake. Im also interested in the mail service during this time period. Fortunately I was able to run down a medic with some antacid. Ill never eat C-Rations again, but I can remember when I was glad to have them. the outer layer of clear plastic is starting to delaminate from the brown plastic. Semper Fi. Most of them were manufactured the year I was born, or the next after. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Then mix a bunch of mosquito repellent in about a half of can.use the rest of the peanut better on the very thick (hard tack) crackers!! I liked Ham and M..f That meant I always had plenty to eat. P-38! 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. My father used to grumble about C-rations from his service in WWII, also, so it was interesting to read this site. Never told 2nd Lts about the hazards of heating an un-opened can. Hey Fred, I was with the same unit as you except I was in B Company, August of 69 through June of 70. It was reported in the media that each soldier in Vietnam had a hot meal each day. Give me pears or apricots any time. Excellent !! of my hand did not care about cut hand But mad till this day We would take the white bread can open a tiny hole in it and put a few drops of water in ithold it over a ball of C-4 to instantly steam itopen the can cut the bread add peanut butter and jelly, and wow warm peanut butter and jelly sandwich on hot bread.