It was just what I needed. 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. Plate. For the new guys flying for the first time, we never let them know how to do it. Should you have a question or comment about this article, then scroll down to the comment section below to leave your response. Medevac. Nov 16, 2013 at 2338hrs, Being an MACV Advisor C-rations always tasted good when ever we had a chance to beg some. I would save my fruit and pond cake and trad for their rations of beer. I have an entire case of unopened C rations from 1969 for sale on Ebay right now. Move away from the Chopper and light with matches from C-rat. 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. I got a flashback Ill never forget those days Sometimes I would eat the pineapples, bananas or coconuts if I could get them. This brought back memories from 68-69 in the jungles of the central highlands. Back I was hoping you could help me identify a certain piece of equipment that soldiers used to cook/reheat their meals during the Vietnam War. 2nd tour, NO problem, LOACH pilot and home every night if I didnt get shot down! Cigarettes. C-rations combat rations. Forgot to mention earlier that battalion sometimes surprises us during resupply and brings out hot food in thermos containers. Sometimes I auction off a pack of cigarettes and the highest bidder will give me a whole C-Rat meal. They came sealed in foil . It tasted like delicious warm and moist cake fresh from the bakery. Just askin, BTW: I grew up in New Orleans and knew many of the McIlhenny family. Some of the guys cannot stand to watch me eat one. 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. Army here, 67-70, most of 70 spent in Vietnam. Moak got the drab olive can as a Marine helicopterpilotoff the Vietnamese coast in 1973. U.S.A.F. B-unit: (3) 12 ounce cans of bread, coffee and sugar. i was in from 1966 to 1972. i never ate a c ration that was younger than me. Always let the FNGs learn a lesson the hard way. I liked ham and limas. I remember having to eat my C-Ration meal cold because we were either on the move or rushed to leave in the mornings. 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. It does take one way back. Only hot meal was the last morning for chow. Ill never eat C-Rations again, but I can remember when I was glad to have them. Bill McD You were the unsung heroes of Army aviation. We called it Coco mo. C-rations featured options that included a variety of entrees, like spaghetti and meatballs, turkey loaf, ham and eggs, etc. Military C-Ration Peanut Butter Can Unopened Cinderella Foods Inc Dawson Ga $13.00 $17.05 shipping We went through East Germany on the Autobahn to Holiefields in Weat Germany for a training mission. 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. Some of the meals werent too bad, especially if somebody from home sent Heinz-57 Sauce or Hot Sauce to doctor them up. I liked the Cs better. Gentlemen, I was wondering if you ever ate at a local shack/stall in town or did you ever go fishing? Oh man, I love your story. When out on missions, infantry units were re-supplied with food, water, ammunition, clothes and other items by helicopter every three to five days. 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. Spent almost 2 yrs in Northern I corps. 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. Each menu contained approximately 1200 calories and consisted of: One canned meat course One canned fruit or cake Those wonderful recipes that you made up so the Cs were more palatable. During the 1960s C-ration cigarettes were identical to the sample packs of four that tobacco salesreps handed out to the public. I had 2 brothers in the military, one in the marines, one in the army. Ive read some books by Vietnam vets and it was also mentioned how to use a c-rat can for the m60. Did not see mention of toothpick that you chewed one end for toothbrush ( sucked). You could take a rats head off at 20 feet with them. Enjoy! yes i remember . I was a high-speed radio operator (MOS 062) during the peacetime years 1955-58, after Korea and before Vietnam. The last two I couldn`t eat and they found botulism in the beans and I almost starved . If somebody liked Lucky Strikes, Parliament, Chesterfields or Pall Malls, they would never run out. We have a great picture of my father, brother and i with our pup tent set up in the back yard cooking C-Rations on my dads small portable 1 can cook stove. 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. Open can of peaches with P-38. Remember chunks of pork with an inch of grease on top. [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). We just heated ours with a ball of C-4, i.e., after opening the can. For sure peaches were like gold I was one of the few guys who didnt like them and could trade them for almost anything. Nuac mam.gag. The 4 meals I remember are 1- chopped ham and eggs 2 beans and wieners 3- ham and lima beans 4- beefsteak and potatoes. God bless you all. Due to health concerns, cigarettes were eliminated from the accessory packs in 1975. 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. (LogOut/ My story is written in letter form with letters to the characters father, to Walter Cronkite and to some other people. Great articlebrings back many memories of the bad old days. 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. after this became the way of doing it. Crash fire. My last CO also liked them. But I read as much as I can get my hands on about what it was like to have served in those times. Need Easy, Nutritious Food While Blacktail Deer Hunting. Ha, ha! In 1966 during the Vietnam war Brig. So the food on a paper 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!! They were pretty good .Carried a container of onion salt , and garlic salt for the C rations . One SP was intended to meet the requirements of 100 men for one day, but we usually saw one SP per platoon (30 men) every two to three weeks. Within shouting distance of us was a huge Marine Mess. Thanks again. Once I got some pancakes that had been stuffed down an elephant rubber. A generation full of Peace&Love did not belong in Vietnam ever! "The bread was awful. I was 13. Opening a claymore , take a ball of c 4, light it Looked for the fruit cans mostly, but some of the other items were tasty too. In 1976 I found the notebook in some old Marine stuff I was going through and I finally got to make the sauce,and it was pretty darn good. Pall Mall, Luckies, Winston, Salem and Benson & Hedges Menthol were five of the brands found in Vietnam era field ration packets. It was often supplied by water trailer or inflatable bladders from helicopters (called water buffaloes) because they were black rubber, and placed on a Gerry built wooden stand surrounded by sandbags to prevent shrapnel or small arms fire from penetrating and emptying the water. Toilet paper and mosquito juice in band on our steel pot to keep them dry. Find great deals on eBay for c rations cigarettes. As a historian, these are important details as even food technologies change. God bless you and I hope that this note finds you well, Sir. Dec 18, 2011. When I had my first taste of LRP Rations I thought it was food for angels. Through some investigation he found the manufacturer of it was Sara Lee. It`s the meal that had the pound cake. Your email address will not be published. 1967 Vietnam c-rations box being opened for the first time in 43 years. 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. 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. Im also interested in the mail service during this time period. It let off a whooshing sound as the pressure seal broke. It would swell up and we wood take it away from the exhaust port until it went back to its original size. 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! 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. crispy critters burn victims CS The C-4 was safe to use as long as it wasnt compressed or using too much at one time. Hill 55 out of DaNang. Upon further review it becomes clear that the lists of "things" have a much deeper meaning and carry an abundance amount of . Non-smokers were known to swap the C-rats cigarette. Vietnam (1961-75) Collectibles; Militaria; Vietnam (1961-75) Original Period Items; Other Vietnam War Orig. Well, with aSTOVEyou made, right? I was the in house inspector at Granite State packing from 72 until 75. (LogOut/ the outer layer of clear plastic is starting to delaminate from the brown plastic. Typical commercial brands issued in the cigarette ration were: Camel, Chesterfield, Kent, Kool, Lucky Strike, Marlboro, Pall Mall, Salem, or Winston. I thought that smoking American cigarettes was a big mistake. 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 ! Fox 2/7 Marines 0311 June 1969/June 1970. Helicopter Pilot. 2.) never gave that a thought until now. While serving in the Central Highlands with the 1/12th Inf. Thank you for taking the time to write this article. 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. Thank you for the information on the sauces. (LogOut/ Agree pound cake slice it mix choc sugar creamer make icing. Found four P38s still in the brown paper wrapping that I brought back from Nam in Dec. 72. From Sylmar, CA. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Due to health concerns, cigarettes were eliminated from the MCI accessory packs in 1975. Corporal. C $19.38. The 1st Inf Div was not allowed beer in the field due to some previous incident. In the fall of this year I will be in a paramedic program. The dilemma here is that water is required for these and at almost three pounds per quart; the extra weight is a consideration. Message me for more detailed photos and orders in bulk. . Would turn to soup. Honestly, the scrambled egg chunks or beans and weenies werent bad cold, but the rest needed to be heated in order to be palatable. I too was in Berlin during the cold war. Four can openers are provided in each case of 12 meals. 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! Never saw anyone eat pound cake without spitting it out. OK, now that your memory is refreshed, do you remember how you cooked your C-Rations. $50: VE-1123 Vietnam period shoulder bag for machine gun . A whole heat tab had to be used. (Obviously some supply sergeant made himself a bunch of money.) C-Ration: Development began in 1938 and was completed between 1941 and 1945. fruit cocktail about to down it and a 60mm blasted my can out USMC. 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. taste of C-rats in 1975 in basic training at Fort Polk La. Give me pears or apricots any time. New Reproduction C-Rations Available. I was the lucky one that LIKED ham and Lima beans! 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. View history. I was a crechief on Hueys who resupplied you guys. The Army colonel popped open an old military 'C' Ration can of pound cake from 1969 at his retirement ceremony, and dug in. canteens inside a canvas or nylon cover attached to web gear or ruck sacks, or the actual cans that C rations were canned. Staf Sargent Larry Bailey. Each complete meal contains approximately 1200 calories. Cigarettes disappeared from rations in 1975, but their legacy was a . There are several websites dedicated to US military combat rations that show all the brands. My dear father was stationed in New Guinea as a U.S. Army medic during World War II, and from him I learned what C rations were. I always wanted or traded for boned chicken or turkey, because if I remember correctly they were made in Saint James MN. It was a luck of the draw right after we went through the gas obstacle coarse at basic training. Moak joked earlier this week that he hoped the can wouldnt explode. Semper Fi. Well presented and will share with fellow Vietnam veterans and family. 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. lol guess I was not human. 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. Thanks for your service. Our company left San Diego with a Navy Band giving us Marines a memorable send off. A stove was usually carried in the back pack or cargo pocket and used repeatedly until the metal began to fail. While there me and a buddy were starved one night so we go to the helicopter pad and find loads of empty cases of c rats, we start searching after about 10 minutes my buddy finds a can, lights up his zippo and with his southern twang says Michael, I cant hardly believe someone left a can of ham and M F ers behind. were dog rations and c rations the same thing? I always enjoyed the pears and it went great with the pound cake. Sold by kragsr4c07 in Great Falls Buy Now! Jerry. In 1966 during the Vietnam war Brig. Always cigarettes, toilet paper and matches. You brought back a lot of memories. Hi mates, good paragraph and fastidious urging commented here, I am genuinely enjoying by these. Twelve different menus are included in the specification. Brings back a lot of memories. 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. 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. I was always thankful that there was a medic around after I ate the Spiced Beef. I wanted to see the reality of what the soldiers had to endure. During the monsoon season or in areas with rivers and streams, this is a moot point as water is plentiful! They are not any where near as sensitive as civilian explosives. Always enjoyed the meals when I was out in the field. I do remember about a week after I was out in the field we received a case of onions by mistake. Excellent, brought back some good memories. This establishment made Beans and Meatballs in Tomato Sauce shipping thousands of cases a month out. Never ate either one of these meals while in country. The Food Service Officer (Canadian Major) thought she got a deal on them. Photos of dissected original pack & other info is included in the pdf file. I drew ham and eggs. B9719 VIETNAM ERA US Military C Ration Spoon in plastic bag IR19A - $16.35. My favorite C-ration dish was created as follows: 1.) Same when I came out of the field and started eating mess-hall chow regularly. Since your audience is mostly nam vets, Id guess ALL OF THEM remember c-rats. Any leads would be greatly appreciated! This was so insightful to read! Pour out all of the heavy syrup, and 3.) Today still add sugar to store hot ccco mix and eat it. Thank you for taking the time to read this. yes crissie it was a mess kit one side flat other side had two compartments and you had silverware so to speak. Marvin J. Wolf, author of Abandoned In Hell, The Fight for Vietnams Firebase Kate.. But, Nuac mam still sucks ass! a b -1-a unit was the topstobasco was the best.didnt have much time to cook in the 4th inf .but there were times ! In Vietnam I was with Regional and Popular Force troops in Rung Sat Special That was like eating the congealed fat from a canned ham. My dad knows what its called in Vietnamese, but has no clue what it is in English. Used extensively during World War II. What brands of cigarettes were in C-Rations? Elements of a United States Military Meal, Combat, Individual ration, as served in Da Nang, South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, 1966 or 1967. Thought it was really good. 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.