canteens inside a canvas or nylon cover attached to web gear or ruck sacks, or the actual cans that C rations were canned. Ive eaten both and they do indeed taste the same. The 1st Inf Div was not allowed beer in the field due to some previous incident. 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. i was in from 1966 to 1972. i never ate a c ration that was younger than me. What brands of cigarettes were in C-Rations? Also sometimes we added the sugar, creamer, and coffee park in the coco package adding a little water mixing it up. This establishment made Beans and Meatballs in Tomato Sauce shipping thousands of cases a month out. I got to Vietnam in July 1967. Toilet paper and mosquito juice in band on our steel pot to keep them dry. I always made it in a c rat can. DONT HOW THEY PRESEVERED THEM BUT THEY DID A GOOG JOB TSGT CLARENCE C WOODY USAF. The brands I remember are: Marlboro, Winston, Camel, Pall Mall, Old Gold, Raleigh, Salem, Kool, Chesterfield, Newport & Lucky Strike . 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. Chrissy That went for Officers and enlisted men. Really love your stories. 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. 34 watchers Most were tossed because they didnt want to clean them or carry the extra bulk in favor of the canteen cup which fit around the canteen and in the pouch plus it made no noise while you were walking around compared to the rattle of the utensils in your mess kit. 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. We went through East Germany on the Autobahn to Holiefields in Weat Germany for a training mission. Moak got the drab olive can as a Marine helicopter pilot off the Vietnamese coast in 1973. Hot BBQ beef. Never saw anyone eat pound cake without spitting it out. Packages of 20 cigarettes each are the same as the regular civilian packs and were sold in US Army operated PX stores. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate were plentiful and everyone had a stash. Message me for more detailed photos and orders in bulk. I would start out with a half gallon portable bladder and it was gone by afternoon. Doc Shyab. The brothers always would trade for Menthols. Im writing a book which is fiction loosely based on my real experience for ages 10-14. Yes they did in WWI, WWII and right up to Vietnam. This is a very nice Vietnam Era Survival Kit & Ration Packaging collectors set, with great display potential. Cigarettes, once considered crucial to American fighting men, have sadly gone the way of the daily rum ration. The ration was very heavy, weighing 5 lbs . . Fox 2/7 Marines 0311 June 1969/June 1970. Those wonderful recipes that you made up so the Cs were more palatable. 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. We called it Coco mo. It smells good, Moak said as he put a handful in his mouth. 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. Smoking the local product might fool Mr. Charles. Each menu contained approximately 1200 calories and consisted of: One canned meat course One canned fruit or cake I will always remember that time 1967-68 Menu. There are several websites dedicated to US military combat rations that show all the brands. Tay Nihn..68 Nui Ba Din. You can live a long time on just water, so I do not recall being hungry. would love to find a rec for them now As I recall, only about 30% of the soldiers in my platoon did not smoke. USMC 2/9 DA NANG , DONG HA, https://charliecompany.org/2012/04/20/c-rations/ Reply With []. It would explain a lot of the stupid decisions Ive made over the years. My last CO also liked them. Free Sample first six chapters of Cherries both Written and Audiobook, Author interview War & Life: Discussions with a Veteran, Feasting on the Frontlines: The Vietnam War Discussing Food History, A brief history of coffee in the US military | We Are The Mighty, A brief history of coffee in the US military. I got out of the field with 12 days left and went to Song Be. Four can openers are provided in each case of 12 meals. all were palatable, but the peaches were outstanding. I remember that there were no hot meals and you learned the hard way what each unit in the box contained. No heat tablets before Vietnam. Typical commercial brands issued in the cigarette ration were: Camel, Chesterfield, Kent, Kool, Lucky Strike, Marlboro, Pall Mall, Salem, or Winston. A combination my Italian wife would cringe at. C Ration Cigarettes (1 - 3 of 3 results) Price ($) Any price Under $25 $25 to $100 $100 to $250 . VE-1226 Cigarette case from the 67TH TAC Recon Wing. Meatballs and beans! During the 1960s C-ration cigarettes were identical to the sample packs of four that tobacco salesreps handed out to the public. In 1975 they stopped putting cigarettes in rations which raised hell with US troops everywhere. It was such a shock to my system that I had diarrhea for a week! 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. The Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) was the name of canned wet combat rations issued by the United States Armed Forces from 1958 to 1980. Cigarettes were eliminated from rations in 1972. Mostly they were awful but I was lucky. Beef and Rocks, Scrambled Rubber Eggs, Chili, Applesauce, and Shit Disks. I lived on peaches & pound cake for breakfast with hot chocolate. Great article, I was USMC 1966/67 Vietnam. Each menu contains: one canned meat item; one canned fruit, bread or dessert item;one B unit; an accessory packet containing cigarettes, matches, chewing gum, toilet paper, coffee, cream, sugar, and salt; and a spoon. I do recall being thirsty. Serving in the Marine corps the beef stew in cans, cold,! Once I got some pancakes that had been stuffed down an elephant rubber. Potable water ( without iodine tablets mixed) was difficult to obtain in the field. $40 : VE-1124 Mortar carrier's shoulder pads, to support the metal barrel. Id buy several cases in an instant. crispy critters burn victims CS Semper fi !! Hats off to all of you guys! Pall Mall, Luckies, Winston, Salem and Benson & Hedges Menthol were five of the brands found in Vietnam era field ration packets. [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). I mixed the cocoa powder, coffee powder and creamer in hot water for a tolerable beverage. The absolute worst, in my opinion, was the ham & eggs, chopped. During World War II, C-Rations included a cigarette packet of nine cigarettes. Replace with VO or whatever whiskey you can find. My father used to grumble about C-rations from his service in WWII, also, so it was interesting to read this site. Yuck. Pork Slices Ingredients: If you lucked into the peach can, you could trade it for almost anything. While on this maneuver I celebrated my birthday by having grape jelly with my pound cake. I , however, could not find its same taste and flavor in America after 30 years in USA. PHU BAI, CAMP CARROLL, NAM 66/67. recovered jeep. Division base camps and some larger firebases had staffed mess halls, serving three hot meals every day. But I read as much as I can get my hands on about what it was like to have served in those times. Thought it was really good. TM 21 1965. Use the removed lid to cut 4 thin slices from the biscuit, toss the unused biscuits. 2.) Marines were not great cooks, but they were inventive. From Sylmar, CA. 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. I was a dog handler in Vietnam 67-68. Always enjoyed the meals when I was out in the field. the military mess kit also comes with a military fork, knife and spoon. Yes they did in WWI, WWII and right up to Vietnam. Dec 18, 2011. A second or B unit might include peanut butter and crackers, chocolate, gum, cigarettes, salt, pepper, and sugar, among other items. Change). 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 ! Semper Fi. 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. The daily ration of 3 meals provides approximately 3600 calories." There were 4 choices of meat in each B group. (LogOut/ Need Easy, Nutritious Food While Blacktail Deer Hunting. Elements of a United States Military Meal, Combat, Individual ration, as served in Da Nang, South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, 1966 or 1967. The MCI was intended as a modest improvement over the earlier canned Type C or C ration, with inclusion . It was reported in the media that each soldier in Vietnam had a hot meal each day. 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. 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. A typical . In the fall of this year I will be in a paramedic program. and more. 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. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! It would swell up and we wood take it away from the exhaust port until it went back to its original size. Moak got the drab olive can as a Marine helicopterpilotoff the Vietnamese coast in 1973. Ham and Limas was the favorite for this purpose. My dad knew few young kind and handsome American colleagues that I admired and impressed at that time. 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. In 1975 they stopped putting cigarettes in rations which raised hell with US troops everywhere. Any leads would be greatly appreciated! Twelve different menus are included in the specification. Ahh, comfort food in the middle of the jungle. Today Gover keeps a . Photos of dissected original pack & other info is included in the pdf file. , Just looking at a can of Ham and MFers makes me wanna puke. God bless you and I hope that this note finds you well, Sir. I thank each of you for all you have done and all the countless sacrifices you made. You were the unsung heroes of Army aviation. My first thought was that Crap,weve killed someone,but thankfully the only problem was that every bottle had been stolen off the tables,and he wanted to know if we would make him some more,which we did,and they were also stolen. My story is written in letter form with letters to the characters father, to Walter Cronkite and to some other people. It was a common thing to trade C rations for cigarettes. Ive read some books by Vietnam vets and it was also mentioned how to use a c-rat can for the m60. 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. Would turn to soup. Viet Nam most of 68. description of C-Rations used in Vietnam: The small cans included in the meal were ideal for making a stove. I will call and order. 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. from United Kingdom. They loved hearing how Tabasco Sauce made even C-rats mostly palatable. Pour out all of the heavy syrup, and 3.) Right? It had a flavor I can not duplicate to this day. In 1922, the ration was reorganized to consist of 16 ounces (450 g) of meat (usually beef jerky ), 3 ounces (85 g) of canned corned beef or chocolate, 14 ounces (400 g) of hard bread or hardtack biscuits, coffee and sugar. Welcome back. What do you think? A must have item for your helmet display, uniform or gear. 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. 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. Our company left San Diego with a Navy Band giving us Marines a memorable send off. Went back a few months ago, the whole country has changed. You could take a rats head off at 20 feet with them. $45: VE-1225 Vietnam Boxed lock and keys. OK, now that your memory is refreshed, do you remember how you cooked your C-Rations. The menu is comprised of one meat (meatloaf, beef tips, chicken, etc), mashed potatoes, veggies, cake or pie, ice-cold milk, lemonade and steaming, hot coffee. 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. Sir, thank you for your service in Vietnam and for the insightful information you provided in this article. Thanks for this article and thanks all American officers and soldiers in the field of VN war. 1966-67 I grew up in Pensacola,and lived on tabasco sauce for my oysters and everything else, and while in Nam I came up with an idea for my own hot sauce for eating c rations with,and wrote it down in a notebook we kept our call signs and frequencies in. This is the officialQuartermastersdescription 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. C $19.38. Hi mates, good paragraph and fastidious urging commented here, I am genuinely enjoying by these. Everyone like cake after that. Hi, I have a few fng stories about Cs. Gun Pilot, B3, the co co package. You could boil a canteen cup of water with a pea-size ball of it in 30 seconds. Vietnam Veteran Keeps Vow, Eats 40-Year-Old CakeFriday , July 24, 2009. I use to take chip BBQ beef and cut the lid open, set the lid back on top, put the can back in the box and light it on fire. Used extensively during World War II. Read about all of these, noticed that none of you brothers mentioned using the tin of peanut butter as a stove. When we were operating our radio nets in the outback wilds of Fort Riley, KS, wed put our A strictly utilitarian use of C-rations for crew chiefs and gunners on our D model Hueys was to replace the M-60 feed chute with a can of Cs. 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. Missed the initial one 4 years ago. Posted by webmaster webmaster has not yet written their Bio. The Armycolonelpopped open an old military C Ration can of pound cake from 1969 at his retirement ceremony, and dug in. They are not any where near as sensitive as civilian explosives. Because there were several "vintages" of C's issued to the Marines and Seabees in Vietnam, more than 4 items may be listed in the B groups as well as the brands of cigarettes included in the accessory pack. Corporal. So, I have no military or Nam stories to tell, darn it! I can't find my links right now, but a little bit of searching should turn them up pretty easily. Interesting article but a really dumb question? Spent almost 2 yrs in Northern I corps. Pingback: Feasting on the Frontlines: The Vietnam War Discussing Food History. I delivered beer to you guys. 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. Your email address will not be published. Dont have any Cs any more, but still got several P-38s, three still sealed in the brown paper. Smith Bravo Co. 2nd Plt 1st Bn 1st Mar Rgt 1st Mar Div, Old memories A plastic spoon. Fine. I also still have my P-38. Funny story, Buzz. At the time no one wanted the egg For the new guys flying for the first time, we never let them know how to do it. Tastes just like it always did, Mikolashek mumbled with a mouthful of cake as Moak laughed and clapped. 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. Other then that, fantastic blog! Glad to be on my way back to Goliad, TX so many of my buds were not so lucky. I carry my P38 that i had in Vietnam on my keychain. Did you see how expensive they are on Ebay? The components of the MCI were the M - "Meat Unit", the B - "Bread Unit", and D - "Dessert Unit". Larry, as a young WO1 pilot just reporting to Nam, making and using the crew chief stove was one of the first thing my crew chief taught me to do. BTW, I did some shows with Justin Wilson in New Orleans. The 10-in-1 Ration included packages with 10 cigarettes each. Anything a dog wont eat should not be consumed by a human. 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! Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. I do remember about a week after I was out in the field we received a case of onions by mistake. 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. Kindest regards. The desserts and the B units got better, too. Issued as one boxed ration per person per day. Found four P38s still in the brown paper wrapping that I brought back from Nam in Dec. 72. Hated Ham and Lima beans. Photo via Wikipedia. FOR SALE! 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. So the food on a paper Everything was always better with Tabbasco Sauce to spice it up. 2.03M subscribers Subscribe 129K 9.7M views 6 years ago Check out this full review of a Vietnam War MCI or "C Ration"! Nov 16, 2013 at 2338hrs, Being an MACV Advisor C-rations always tasted good when ever we had a chance to beg some. 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. 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. I was the lucky one that LIKED ham and Lima beans! $50: VE-1125 Vietnam Grenade Carrier. The foil pieces are 1.75"x1.75" and 1.75"x6" in size. Heres a few of the photos from my page: http://1-22infantry.org/pics4/richard.htm. The C-4 was safe to use as long as it wasnt compressed or using too much at one time. Wait until they run out of cigarettes and trade them for C-Rats. In 1966 during the Vietnam war Brig. Warrant officer. I remember the first time we got to sample some Cs just after we went threw the gas obstacle back in basic training. Mass-2 Marine attached to the 3rd Marine Div. one of the better memories of c rats. . you have any idea how the mean and beans were made have never found a close substitute for them. Oh, the memories.