I collect all of the C-Rats rejects and I have plenty to eat. I think the onions were gone in a matter of a few days. A couple of days later our friend David called and told us that there was a problem with the sauce. My father used to grumble about C-rations from his service in WWII, also, so it was interesting to read this site. lol guess I was not human. Less known is that an unlikely snack . 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. It was illustrated by Fred Rhoads. Semper Fi. Pour out all of the heavy syrup, and 3.) Smith Bravo Co. 2nd Plt 1st Bn 1st Mar Rgt 1st Mar Div, Old memories The new menu (late 1968 onward) included good stuff like beans & weenies. The 10-in-1 Ration included packages with 10 cigarettes each. 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. But, Nuac mam still sucks ass! This stove was satisfactory, but did not allow enough oxygen to enter which caused incomplete burning of the blue Trioxin heat tablet, causing fumes which irritated the eyes and respiratory tract. Little known or unpopular brands. I spent my early Navy years aboard the Lexington in the South China Sea and the worst meal I can remember was Spam in fruit cocktail glaze!! To you and to all the crew chiefs and gunners, from the bottom of my heart, I say thank you. My dog would not eat the ham and lima beans. Balance food to be heated on bent over lid and can while fire heat main course. A few of the troops didnt like to drink beer. The dilemma here is that water is required for these and at almost three pounds per quart; the extra weight is a consideration. Loved the lerps when we could get them. There was also a separate "tobacco . Semper Fi. Staf Sargent Larry Bailey. Beef and Rocks, Scrambled Rubber Eggs, Chili, Applesauce, and Shit Disks. You can live a long time on just water, so I do not recall being hungry. Also read a lot about their c-rat experiences too. 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 ( ? 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. 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. Need Easy, Nutritious Food While Blacktail Deer Hunting. The daily ration of 3 meals provides approximately 3600 calories." There were 4 choices of meat in each B group. Its even a little moist, he said, wiping his mouth. 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. 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. 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. Sold by kragsr4c07 in Great Falls Buy Now! The 4-Pack Cigarettes Package of Toilet Tissue C Ration Packaging. Most of them were manufactured the year I was born, or the next after. If you lucked into the peach can, you could trade it for almost anything. Check my other listings for different quantities. I was barely more than a toddler during the Vietnam war, and am a non- veteran. The standard ration pack issued to infantrymen in Vietnam was the Australian Combat Ration (One Man). When I first got to Vietnam and was assigned to an infantry battalion in the field, I started eating Cs three meals per day. 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. noviopera From shop noviopera. Meatballs and beans! great footlocker or combat field pack display item. A small chunk of C-4 explosive could also be substituted for the Trioxin tablet for faster heating. Pingback: Remember C-Rations? When I was in AIT training, I can remember eating the fortified chocolate wafers made at the Wilber Chocolate factory in Lititz, PA. 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. 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. When I had my first taste of LRP Rations I thought it was food for angels. Mass-2 Marine attached to the 3rd Marine Div. It was great when someone got a care package from homewe all shared. Must have been super hot. Hey Fred, I was with the same unit as you except I was in B Company, August of 69 through June of 70. C-packs also contained cartons of Cigaretts, M&Ms and other favorites, 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. My last CO loved them. Ahh, comfort food in the middle of the jungle. Click Here for web printable Vietnam Boarding Pass. We would either just add sugar pack and eat. Click Here for web printable Marlboro Cigarettes from C-Ration Accessory Pack. Posted March 31, 2018. Crash fire. 1 for 5 5 for 20 20 for 40 Keep an . ate a lot as a kid . Great article, I was USMC 1966/67 Vietnam. 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. Left the nam brought one home should have seen the looks I got. At the time no one wanted the egg i was in from 1966 to 1972. i never ate a c ration that was younger than me. Since your audience is mostly nam vets, Id guess ALL OF THEM remember c-rats. I liked the Cs better. 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. We would get a hot meal maybe onced a month. Use the removed lid to cut 4 thin slices from the biscuit, toss the unused biscuits. Of course it was not their faults, soldiers , at first and second to be fair they needed to go home with their families. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Military C-Ration Peanut Butter Can Unopened Cinderella Foods Inc Dawson Ga $13.00 $17.05 shipping This isnt Larry Craft from Pittsburgh, is it? Fortunately I was able to run down a medic with some antacid. Ham and eggs were definitely the worst.with the consistency of the congealed fat from a canned ham but ham & mothers referred to ham & lima beans. It let off a whooshing sound as the pressure seal broke. 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. Missed the initial one 4 years ago. I was a high-speed radio operator (MOS 062) during the peacetime years 1955-58, after Korea and before Vietnam. vet 69-73 does any one have a recipe for meat and beans? 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. I got ham and eggs. 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. There were times I ate the Cs and the dates were from the Korean years. 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. In 1966 during the Vietnam war Brig. Close to Mom!s chocolate cookie mix before she put on the cooking ban to bake. ham and turkey loaf and the peanut butter, our c rats came in a white case I remember the date on them then was like 20 years old in 1968, I liked the sterno heater, they were much better warm than cold. Nov 16, 2013 at 2338hrs, Being an MACV Advisor C-rations always tasted good when ever we had a chance to beg some. 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. 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. Back in 1958 while flying the Pacific we had only Cs for flight lunches on aerial Tankers. The accessory pack with each meal was sealed in a foil pouch. It tasted like the congealed fat from a canned ham. CA. description of C-Rations used in Vietnam: The small cans included in the meal were ideal for making a stove. | dng sng c. 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. For the new guys flying for the first time, we never let them know how to do it. . 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. As the Doughboys went to France, the ration changed. U.S.A.F. 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. Forgot to mention earlier that battalion sometimes surprises us during resupply and brings out hot food in thermos containers. 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. Today still add sugar to store hot ccco mix and eat it. I wanted to see the reality of what the soldiers had to endure. c-4 was the best for heating, some 4th inf. That was when I had the idea to start my own sauce company. if so, what was the dogs favorite meal? A second or B unit might include peanut butter and crackers, chocolate, gum, cigarettes, salt, pepper, and sugar, among other items. 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!! You brought back a lot of memories. Give me pears or apricots any time. I agree almost entirely with you assessment of taste and quality and preferences, with one exception: I was a combat photographer with the First Air Cav, and made it my personal mission to photograph an op from each of our original 8 infantry battalions , all of our artillery battalions, and the engineer and cavalry units, plus every company in the Aviation brigade. You could boil a canteen cup of water with a pea-size ball of it in 30 seconds. You, and all veterans have my utmost respect and admiration. It consisted of three meals sealed in a plastic bag together with items such as a can opener/spoon, matches, toilet paper, etc. Prayers-Love and GREAT BIG -Thank you to ALL Military personnel (still here or passed) and their families for serving our COUNTRY. Other then that, fantastic blog! Menu. Funny story, Buzz. Went back a few months ago, the whole country has changed. Medevac. Looked for the fruit cans mostly, but some of the other items were tasty too. And how did those taste? I cannot tell you how happy I am to have stumbled across your post! I really enjoyed Meat balls & beans. Very interesting. Good grief.that was 50 years ago and I had just turned 18. Used to put them on the voltage regulators to heat. The dehydrated pork and beef hockey pucks were supposed to be the big thing but the dried fruit was the best part. With me it seemed the meals that were my least favorite when I first arrived in country were my favorite ones towards the end of my tour. Remember chunks of pork with an inch of grease on top. recovered jeep. Really love your stories. Military explosives are designed to go through combat. I have the greatest respect for the grunts they did it with ingenuity and a lot of common sense. TM 21 1965. 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! Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Fine. [] the bread and voila a toasted cheese sandwich. Once lit it would put out a decent flame..my favorite was spiced beef.but had to be served hot.cold it sucked. of my hand did not care about cut hand But mad till this day He was not overly fond of them, but did eat to stay alive. I was in Vietnam with the Marines from 68-69. 4th infantry, Great article. Im also interested in the mail service during this time period. Cigarettes. PHU BAI, CAMP CARROLL, NAM 66/67. In the aviation community wed take a can of biscuits, poke holes in it, pour some JP4 into it, and voila a stove!! Since I didnt smoke, the cigarette 5-packs (except Chesterfields, which nobody wanted) came in handy for that. Dear Chrissy, There was a reason they were called Ham & Motherfuckers. So the food on a paper l would buy and eat them today if someone was to make em. Thanks for this article and thanks all American officers and soldiers in the field of VN war. I get a lot of the cans of fruit cake. I really enjoyed reading these replies about c-rations and your experiences in Vietnam. You could buy cases of beer and soda too. The MCI was intended as a modest improvement over the earlier canned Type C or C ration, with inclusion . He would flatly refuse to eat canned Spam when I was a young girl, saying it reminded him of those C rations! OK, now that your memory is refreshed, do you remember how you cooked your C-Rations. THEY WERE STILL GOOD. Nate Hill, Pres, TAC Tankers Assn. I remember having to eat my C-Ration meal cold because we were either on the move or rushed to leave in the mornings. Glad to be on my way back to Goliad, TX so many of my buds were not so lucky. And in spite of all their faults, I do sometimes miss C-Rats, especially the Pound Cake! You were the unsung heroes of Army aviation. The one in the marines was stationed in ChuLai. Always cigarettes, toilet paper and matches. would love to find a rec for them now Back Great articlebrings back many memories of the bad old days. meal eggs always looked greenish . and more. We just throw a fragmentation hand grenade in the pond, which is usually a bomb crater, then all of the fish will come to the surface of the water dead. We sometimes ran out of C-rats, especially when we couldnt get resupply because the runway on our LZ was damaged by mortar attacks. DD345 - Liberty Pass. I always wanted or traded for boned chicken or turkey, because if I remember correctly they were made in Saint James MN. 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! Not to bad either! Well, with aSTOVEyou made, right? Most used their canteen cups, which nested on the bottom of 1 Qt. 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. L/Cpl P.T. Thanks for summing up all the C-ration experiences. C-rations featured options that included a variety of entrees, like spaghetti and meatballs, turkey loaf, ham and eggs, etc. Listing is for 1x Pin Badges, please specify the design at checkout or a random ones will be sent out. I was with the 15th Aerial Port Sq 1968-69, Da Nang. 2.) so what did you feed your dog in nam? 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. Blocks of c 4 began to be available, this spared claymores. $40 : VE-1124 Mortar carrier's shoulder pads, to support the metal barrel. From Sylmar, CA. Thanks for your service. This establishment made Beans and Meatballs in Tomato Sauce shipping thousands of cases a month out. I do not smoke so I save the small pack of cigarettes. Thanks again. I got out of the field with 12 days left and went to Song Be. The coffee, sugar, creamer and hot cocoa came in paper envelopes. 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. 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. Elements of a United States Military Meal, Combat, Individual ration, as served in Da Nang, South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, 1966 or 1967. Original Vietnam era US Military C Ration white plastic Spoon.From C Ration 382314172092. Chrissy When I look at your blog in Opera, it looks fine but These meals came in a case containing 12 meals. 4.) 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. The "Honcho Club". Best dessert was peaches & pound cake, but you had to trade for stuff. t004. Last time I tried to replace my Cs the price had gone out of sight. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Pingback: Feasting on the Frontlines: The Vietnam War Discussing Food History. Each menu contained approximately 1200 calories and consisted of: One canned meat course One canned fruit or cake Mostly they were awful but I was lucky. During the 1960s C-ration cigarettes were identical to the sample packs of four that tobacco salesreps handed out to the public. General Delivery Silver Springs Fl.34489 USA Our squad leader was fairturned all Cs upside down and would mix up..then we would pick..No Fear!! It would explain a lot of the stupid decisions Ive made over the years. Scottie Hill CW4(Ret) Ret. I miss the guys I hope all are doing well. 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. The VC had no heart pinned down one day took out my last Almost never saw heat tabs , we called them c tabs they didnt want us to have flames. one of the better memories of c rats. Excellent, brought back some good memories. The first and last time I ate that meal. Some of the guys cannot stand to watch me eat one. Cigarettes disappeared from rations in 1975, but their legacy was a . In the field 90% of my tour. As a historian, these are important details as even food technologies change. We got a hot meal in the jungle only after a firefight. Three? Only once was stupid enough to eat the WHOLE LRRP ration at onne, swells up pretty big after the water goes down! Meals such as beef stew, spaghetti and meatballs, chili and others were a wonderful diversion from the mundane canned food we were subjected to. It would swell up and we wood take it away from the exhaust port until it went back to its original size. I was a cold war veteran spending my 3 years in Germany, but we were issued them for field trips, alerts and exercises. (LogOut/ A typical . Currahee. It was just what I needed. My story is written in letter form with letters to the characters father, to Walter Cronkite and to some other people. Greg Dearborn says: 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. Due to health concerns, cigarettes were eliminated from the MCI accessory packs in 1975. Fishing? Dan DMZ M/co 1969 USMC Hill 461 Sieara Rock Pile , Stud, LZ MAC chopper down! Vietnam War C-Ration Cigarette Pack Lucky Strike Repro Opens in a new window or tab. As an infantry unit our year was pretty much the same as yours. My older sister, younger brother and I could only imagine what those canned meals tasted like.