We would do the same process one more time and it would be ready to eat after you wiped it down to get as much black exhaust crap off and open it with your P38. We were at the end of the supply line so we ate a lot of C-rations. $40 . 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. I got pretty good at stealing C4 to cook with , and those LRRP rations . In 1975 they stopped putting cigarettes in rations which raised hell with US troops everywhere. The C-4 was safe to use as long as it wasnt compressed or using too much at one time. So, I have no military or Nam stories to tell, darn it! All those you show here was my usual meals at the jungle in Vietnam. Thanksgiving and Christmas 1967 saw one beer per guy allotted to the troops. C-packs also contained cartons of Cigaretts, M&Ms and other favorites, We were the first army division in the first corps at that time. And my brothers. Others were downright awful (Ham and Lima beans) and passed over left behind for the Cherries when it is their turn to pick out meals. 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. The Food Service Officer (Canadian Major) thought she got a deal on them. 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! Ur full of it Old Marine. Trying to spread the word to potentially interested people. And in spite of all their faults, I do sometimes miss C-Rats, especially the Pound Cake! It was great when someone got a care package from homewe all shared. Where can I buy this rations ?I like this food too much. When I look at your blog in Opera, it looks fine but A second or B unit might include peanut butter and crackers, chocolate, gum, cigarettes, salt, pepper, and sugar, among other items. Blocks of c 4 began to be available, this spared claymores. Even for me being a FNG they were a treat but I didnt appreciate them as much as the old timers did. one of the better memories of c rats. The MCI was intended as a modest improvement over the earlier canned Type C or C ration, with inclusion . I always enjoyed the pears and it went great with the pound cake. 2nd tour, NO problem, LOACH pilot and home every night if I didnt get shot down! And at 75 years old, thats a blessing. Vietnam War C-Ration Cigarette Pack Lucky Strike Repro Opens in a new window or tab. The military teaches you to be a thief . Honestly, the scrambled egg chunks or beans and weenies werent bad cold, but the rest needed to be heated in order to be palatable. In Thailand, sriracha sauce was even better than Tabasco. This establishment made Beans and Meatballs in Tomato Sauce shipping thousands of cases a month out. We would punch a few holes in the top of the can using a P38 and add a small amount of water and heat it for a bit with a piece of C4. Viet Nam most of 68. It would swell up and we wood take it away from the exhaust port until it went back to its original size. Every thing else not to bad. 2.03M subscribers Subscribe 129K 9.7M views 6 years ago Check out this full review of a Vietnam War MCI or "C Ration"! 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 always wanted or traded for boned chicken or turkey, because if I remember correctly they were made in Saint James MN. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Nov 16, 2013 at 2338hrs, Being an MACV Advisor C-rations always tasted good when ever we had a chance to beg some. Replace with VO or whatever whiskey you can find. Medevac. Life-saving use of rations! When absolutely necessary, Id empty the water and spoon in a can of cheese, melting it together with a ball of C-4. 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. Hi, I get a lot of the cans of fruit cake. | dng sng c. 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. As I remember our C rats were marked 1941 &42. 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. Heres a few of the photos from my page: http://1-22infantry.org/pics4/richard.htm. 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. I would start out with a half gallon portable bladder and it was gone by afternoon. I have an entire case of unopened C rations from 1969 for sale on Ebay right now. In the aviation community wed take a can of biscuits, poke holes in it, pour some JP4 into it, and voila a stove!! Being from MN was my home connection. 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. Abandoned my country, Vietnam, in 1975, but that did not make me hating them. We took them camping, my sister wanted corn dogs, which the bears ate as they passed thru our camp. Great site thanks for the memories. Never told 2nd Lts about the hazards of heating an un-opened can. Dont forget to stir before putting over fire. Who could ever forget about C-Rations? Cigarettes disappeared from rations in 1975, but their legacy was a . Loved the lerps when we could get them. The one in the marines was stationed in ChuLai. P-38! Cigarettes were eliminated from rations in 1972. 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. I always made it in a c rat can. They were pretty good .Carried a container of onion salt , and garlic salt for the C rations . I just put the pound cake into one of my scenes. Hey, I think your website might be having browser compatibility issues. Broight back some memories for me from my year in the bush. , Just looking at a can of Ham and MFers makes me wanna puke. Funny story, Buzz. Free shipping for many products! Sold by kragsr4c07 in Great Falls Buy Now! You could buy cases of beer and soda too. It's one of the most celebrated feats of World War II: On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 troops stormed the beaches of Normandy during the D-Day invasion . Typical commercial brands issued in the cigarette rations in Vietnam were: Camel, Chesterfield, Kent, Kool, Lucky Strike, Marlboro, Pall Mall, Salem, . I thank each of you for all you have done and all the countless sacrifices you made. We always had plenty of rice. 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. 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. Thanks for your service. Ahh, comfort food in the middle of the jungle. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 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. Vietnam Equipment VE-547 Choice Vietnam Jungle Boots, size 12. But I read as much as I can get my hands on about what it was like to have served in those times. 34 watchers Missed the initial one 4 years ago. 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. 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. But, Nuac mam still sucks ass! I remember the first time we got to sample some Cs just after we went threw the gas obstacle back in basic training. Abovecrew members on a UH-1 helicopter deliver C-rations to soldiers in the field during the Vietnam War. As a historian, these are important details as even food technologies change. 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!! 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. 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. The ration was very heavy, weighing 5 lbs . Give me pears or apricots any time. Gun Pilot, B3, the co co package. Ive read some books by Vietnam vets and it was also mentioned how to use a c-rat can for the m60. So I gave my last Cs to a Boy Scout Troop and switched to freeze-dried packets (civilian version of MREs) . great footlocker or combat field pack display item. C-Ration: Development began in 1938 and was completed between 1941 and 1945. unopened vietnam c-ration accessory pack with cigarettes. We got a hot meal in the jungle only after a firefight. Give me an address and Ill send you one. The next thing I got was the MREs. Semper Fi. i was in from 1966 to 1972. i never ate a c ration that was younger than me. While on this maneuver I celebrated my birthday by having grape jelly with my pound cake. I collect all of the C-Rats rejects and I have plenty to eat. Nuac mam.gag. Usually the coffee, sugar and creamer had to be worked over with a bayonet pommel to reconstitute it into powder. My dad died in Vietnam in 1965. USMC. All individual empty cans and trash were buried prior to leaving the table unless he had another use for one of the cans. To eating our faithful C rations. The C-Ration, or Type C ration, was an individual canned, pre-cooked, and prepared wet ration. C-rats. c-4 was the best for heating, some 4th inf. It would explain a lot of the stupid decisions Ive made over the years. (LogOut/ C Ration Cigarettes (1 - 3 of 3 results) Price ($) Any price Under $25 $25 to $100 $100 to $250 . I have a few fng stories about Cs. Excellent piece and very true in every respect. 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. It was such a shock to my system that I had diarrhea for a week! Due to health concerns, cigarettes were eliminated from the accessory packs in 1975. I wish that cigarettes were never part of those C-rations. 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. My last CO loved them. Service. 2. Greg Dearborn says: Any leads would be greatly appreciated! Great walk down memory lane. 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. Left out the crew chief version of a stove. Good article. I flew as a Crewchief on a UH-1C Gunship. Toward the end of my tour, we began having access to the freeze-dried LRRP meals. 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. I always wanted to be in the military but because I about cut my foot off as a kid, I could not get in. Popular products. from United Kingdom. Just askin, BTW: I grew up in New Orleans and knew many of the McIlhenny family. The Army colonel popped open an old military 'C' Ration can of pound cake from 1969 at his retirement ceremony, and dug in. Issued as one boxed ration per person per day. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for VINTAGE VEITNAM ERA MILITARY " C" RATIONS PACK OF CIGARETTES UNOPENED at the best online prices at eBay! Fishing? The photo above shows an original VN era Marlboro cigarette pack from a . Each soldier was issued three boxes per day containing breakfast, dinner and supper. Items; Share. Id buy several cases in an instant. I lived on pound cake and chicken noodle soup cooked with a pinch of C4. Food was of secondary importance. It got to taste good warm after you got used to it. I do not smoke so I save the small pack of cigarettes. It smells good, Moak said as he put a handful in his mouth. Listing is for 1x Pin Badges, please specify the design at checkout or a random ones will be sent out. Really putrid stuff, For anyone who was there I was with VF213 flying Demons, flying hydraulic leaks! Of course it was not their faults, soldiers , at first and second to be fair they needed to go home with their families. Dan DMZ M/co 1969 USMC Hill 461 Sieara Rock Pile , Stud, LZ MAC chopper down! 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. Stand tall and thank you for your service. Military C-Ration Peanut Butter Can Unopened Cinderella Foods Inc Dawson Ga $13.00 $17.05 shipping 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. Your email address will not be published. $50: VE-1123 Vietnam period shoulder bag for machine gun . Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Balance food to be heated on bent over lid and can while fire heat main course. Vietnam War Pin Badge Reproductions. You can live a long time on just water, so I do not recall being hungry. Some of the meals werent too bad, especially if somebody from home sent Heinz-57 Sauce or Hot Sauce to doctor them up. Nate Hill, Pres, TAC Tankers Assn. In the fall of this year I will be in a paramedic program. Steve Miller took the fire extinguisher and use it to get our cokes cold. Brings back a lot of memories. You did what you had to do and made it home to an undeservedly rough reception. "Peanut butter and crackers was the best," Orbell said. My story is written in letter form with letters to the characters father, to Walter Cronkite and to some other people. never gave that a thought until now. Posted March 31, 2018. I ate a years worth 199LIB 11b20 September 69 September 70. Turkey packed in 30 weight motor oil was the worst. I found that these meals are easy and quick to prepare and they rehydrate []. Since I didnt smoke, the cigarette 5-packs (except Chesterfields, which nobody wanted) came in handy for that. Message me for more detailed photos and orders in bulk. I have great memories of C-Rations. Thanks again. Never saw anyone eat pound cake without spitting it out. Also read a lot about their c-rat experiences too. Used extensively during World War II. OK, now that your memory is refreshed, do you remember how you cooked your C-Rations. The foil pieces are 1.75"x1.75" and 1.75"x6" in size. A must have item for your helmet display, uniform or gear. 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. The K-ration, developed by University of Minnesota physician Ancel Keys, provided three complete and balanced, 3,000-calorie meals in compact packages.