FOR SALE! $100 VE-546 Choice Vietnam Jungle Boots, size 12. The Army colonel popped open an old military 'C' Ration can of pound cake from 1969 at his retirement ceremony, and dug in. 2. You did a great job with this. These simple treats brought so much joy to my dad; It has sparked a lifelong love in him for them even to this day (the canned peanut butter and fruitcake to be exact). Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Vietnam Equipment VE-547 Choice Vietnam Jungle Boots, size 12. When I first got to Vietnam and was assigned to an infantry battalion in the field, I started eating Cs three meals per day. You could buy cases of beer and soda too. were dog rations and c rations the same thing? Any leads would be greatly appreciated! 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. Interesting article but a really dumb question? Semper Fi. I was 13. We would either just add sugar pack and eat. about fruit cocktail. I always made it in a c rat can. Tay Nihn..68 Nui Ba Din. the military mess kit also comes with a military fork, knife and spoon. Trying to spread the word to potentially interested people. Left out the crew chief version of a stove. Everything was always better with Tabbasco Sauce to spice it up. Might you, or anyone else have an idea? [] the bread and voila a toasted cheese sandwich. Most of us knew there were others who had it harder than than we did. VE-1226 Cigarette case from the 67TH TAC Recon Wing. 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. During World War II, C-Rations included a cigarette packet of nine cigarettes. They have the following menus: Ham & Eggs Ingredients: 82.5% whole egg, 9.3% of pork, onion, herbs, spices, salt, E250, E621, E300/E301, dextrose. C-packs also contained cartons of Cigaretts, M&Ms and other favorites, You could boil a canteen cup of water with a pea-size ball of it in 30 seconds. the cigarettes are sold as a 50 year old collectible and are not intended for consumption. I was a dog handler in Vietnam 67-68. One thing I remember about Cs was the fruit. Man do I remember C rations. THE C-RATIONS I ATE IN VIETNAM IN 1970 WERE DATED 1943 THATS 27 YRS OLD AND I will call and order. This isnt Larry Craft from Pittsburgh, is it? Potable water ( without iodine tablets mixed) was difficult to obtain in the field. I was there during the transition from C-Rats to MREs during the early 80s. Using a John Wayne (a P-38) pierce a series of closely spaced holes around the top and bottom rims of the can. The small cans included in the meal were ideal for making a stove. 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. Always enjoyed the meals when I was out in the field. Serving in the Marine corps the beef stew in cans, cold,! Meals such as beef stew, spaghetti and meatballs, chili and others were a wonderful diversion from the mundane canned food we were subjected to. That was when I had the idea to start my own sauce company. Cigarettes were bad for your health along with bullets. View history. Greg Dearborn says: Only hot meal was the last morning for chow. They were pretty good .Carried a container of onion salt , and garlic salt for the C rations . Twelve different menus are included in the specification. It does take one way back. The ham and eggs were inedible. 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. So, I have no military or Nam stories to tell, darn it! And in spite of all their faults, I do sometimes miss C-Rats, especially the Pound Cake! Chrissy Broight back some memories for me from my year in the bush. 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. Each usually consisted of a can of some basic course, a can of fruit, a packet of some type of dessert, a packet of powdered coca, a small pack of cigarettes, and two pieces of chewing gum. We never had cold meals. (LogOut/ Loved the lerps when we could get them. And one day I plan on working as a flight RN / EMT-P as well as continuing to either work or volunteer as a firefighter. guy came by and collected all our heating tabs said they caused cancer. I WONDER IF HE DIED FROM AGENT ORANGE. Tellander Sgt USMC. Daddys description was not very glowing! C-rations and m-60 mechine gun and GOD are what got me through tough times . and heat a canteen cup of water and it provided you with quick hot water or c rations. Ahh, comfort food in the middle of the jungle. 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. Other then that, fantastic blog! I found that these meals are easy and quick to prepare and they rehydrate []. Read about all of these, noticed that none of you brothers mentioned using the tin of peanut butter as a stove. We took them camping, my sister wanted corn dogs, which the bears ate as they passed thru our camp. My father was in the Korean War and war in Vietnam, near the end of his 20 year military service in the US Army. There were times I ate the Cs and the dates were from the Korean years. My favorite C-ration dish was created as follows: 1.) Each complete meal contains approximately 1200 calories. At times we actually had to buy cases of C-rats in Phan Thiet where there was a thriving black market. Well presented and will share with fellow Vietnam veterans and family. Sitting in a bunker with a m60 in the monsoons I try to forget. New Reproduction C-Rations Available. I wish that cigarettes were never part of those C-rations. The Vietnamese will sit for hours with a homemade fishing pole fishing. Each soldier was issued three boxes per day containing breakfast, dinner and supper. Really putrid stuff, For anyone who was there I was with VF213 flying Demons, flying hydraulic leaks! He was not overly fond of them, but did eat to stay alive. Patrick Douglas Erb was there from Oct.20,1970-March 15,1971. Miss those soldiers from our lives deeply. Yes they did in WWI, WWII and right up to Vietnam. Hot BBQ beef. Corporal. 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. 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. [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). just outside of Da Nang, we were working with the KMC. With its flip-top box, Marlboro was the most popular brand in Vietnam, despite COMUSMACV General Creighton W. Abrams' penchant for cigars, a preference dating back to his World War II service as a tank battalion commander. I know heat tabs were around but c4 burned hot and fast. 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. C-Ration: Development began in 1938 and was completed between 1941 and 1945. Fine. So it was c-rats for at least two meals a night. When absolutely necessary, Id empty the water and spoon in a can of cheese, melting it together with a ball of C-4. I would have beer almost every day. Packages of 20 cigarettes each are the same as the regular civilian packs and were sold in US Army operated PX stores. Vietnam War C-Ration Cigarette Pack Lucky Strike Repro Opens in a new window or tab. They were the best canned peaches Ive ever had. 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 have the greatest respect for the grunts they did it with ingenuity and a lot of common sense. 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. It woul heat a bunch of c-rats. Thank you for taking the time to write this article. SO, GOD BLESS YOU ALL. Explore Vietnam C Ration Cigarette with all the useful information below including suggestions, reviews, top brands, and related recipes,. Hey, I think your website might be having browser compatibility issues. I got to Vietnam in July 1967. Always cigarettes, toilet paper and matches. 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. Vietnam C Ration Cigarette : Top Picked from our Experts The Meal, Combat, Individual ( MCI) was a United States military ration of canned and preserved food, issued from 1958 to 1980. You are describing a military mess kit, but they were not used by most GIs in Viet Nam. Where can I buy this rations ?I like this food too much. Semper Fidelis. We just sold out all of our products in February 2018 except for this hot sauce,which we are going to sell as private label. Currahee. Anything a dog wont eat should not be consumed by a human. 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. Give me pears or apricots any time. Stand tall and thank you for your service. got there 170 pounds left at a 110 pounds. Scan of original thanks to Dave Stieghan. 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. Ha, ha! As a Army pilot, I knew this well. 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. The absolute worst, in my opinion, was the ham & eggs, chopped. DONT HOW THEY PRESEVERED THEM BUT THEY DID A GOOG JOB TSGT CLARENCE C WOODY USAF. When I was in AIT training, I can remember eating the fortified chocolate wafers made at the Wilber Chocolate factory in Lititz, PA. Life-saving use of rations! . 4.5 out of 5 stars (128) Service. At topa C-ration with P-38 can opener. $79.95 Vietnam Us Army Actually, I has been liking and still remember those good smell and tasty of those Military canned food. Ah! If you lucked into the peach can, you could trade it for almost anything. I delivered beer to you guys. Listing is for 1x Pin Badges, please specify the design at checkout or a random ones will be sent out. Due to health concerns, cigarettes were eliminated from the MCI accessory packs in 1975. Non-smokers were known to swap the C-rats cigarette. 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! Brings back memories of a distant time.. U.S. Army photo It had a flavor I can not duplicate to this day. Also read a lot about their c-rat experiences too. Scottie Hill CW4(Ret) Ret. In and around Quang Tri with side trips to Hue, Khe San & Dong Ha. Hot or room temp, either way I always got a major bought of heart burn shortly after consuming the spiced beef. PHU BAI, CAMP CARROLL, NAM 66/67. vet 69-73 does any one have a recipe for meat and beans? 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. 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. We had C Rations to eat while in the Pentagon Oct 21st 1967 while the war protest march was going on. unopened vietnam c-ration accessory pack with cigarettes. Good grief.that was 50 years ago and I had just turned 18. The only drawback was that hot water was needed to make the meal edible, however, the weight of extra water was offset by the lightweight meals. noviopera From shop noviopera. Got to Nam in July 68 an assigned as a pilot way down in the Delta. Tastes just like it always did, Mikolashek mumbled with a mouthful of cake as Moak laughed and clapped. Jerry. 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. https://charliecompany.org/2012/04/20/c-rations/ Reply With []. 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. Mass-2 Marine attached to the 3rd Marine Div. ONE ORIGINAL!! A combination my Italian wife would cringe at. 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. That was the beginning of the Tet Offensive and the hot meals were few. Viet Nam most of 68. I think the onions were gone in a matter of a few days. Same when I came out of the field and started eating mess-hall chow regularly. (LogOut/ My favorite was, Ham & Eggs Chopped. The brands I remember are: Marlboro, Winston, Camel, Pall Mall, Old Gold, Raleigh, Salem, Kool, Chesterfield, Newport & Lucky Strike . 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. Thanksgiving and Christmas 1967 saw one beer per guy allotted to the troops. It was a luck of the draw right after we went through the gas obstacle coarse at basic training. It got to taste good warm after you got used to it. You, and all veterans have my utmost respect and admiration. ago. 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 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. took the fire extinguisher and use it to get our cokes cold. It would swell up and we wood take it away from the exhaust port until it went back to its original size. As I recall, only about 30% of the soldiers in my platoon did not smoke. 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. The brothers always would trade for Menthols. For sure peaches were like gold I was one of the few guys who didnt like them and could trade them for almost anything. Through some investigation he found the manufacturer of it was Sara Lee. Almost never saw heat tabs , we called them c tabs they didnt want us to have flames. A whole heat tab had to be used. During the 1960s C-ration cigarettes were identical to the sample packs of four that tobacco salesreps handed out to the public. Dont have any Cs any more, but still got several P-38s, three still sealed in the brown paper. Dan DMZ M/co 1969 USMC Hill 461 Sieara Rock Pile , Stud, LZ MAC chopper down! 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. 2nd tour, NO problem, LOACH pilot and home every night if I didnt get shot down! Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Elements of a United States Military Meal, Combat, Individual ration, as served in Da Nang, South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, 1966 or 1967. You could take a rats head off at 20 feet with them. C rations boxes contained three meals for each of eight men. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. You brought back a lot of memories. They are not any where near as sensitive as civilian explosives. taste of C-rats in 1975 in basic training at Fort Polk La. after this became the way of doing it. Well, with aSTOVEyou made, right? Saved the coke for when we would be by the tanks or APCs. 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. "Peanut butter and crackers was the best," Orbell said. . 1967 Vietnam c-rations box being opened for the first time in 43 years. My father used to grumble about C-rations from his service in WWII, also, so it was interesting to read this site. recovered jeep. Ill never eat C-Rations again, but I can remember when I was glad to have them. Ron Perron 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. All individual empty cans and trash were buried prior to leaving the table unless he had another use for one of the cans. You were the unsung heroes of Army aviation. I always wanted or traded for boned chicken or turkey, because if I remember correctly they were made in Saint James MN. Last time I tried to replace my Cs the price had gone out of sight. Old Marine. It was illustrated by Fred Rhoads. Most used their canteen cups, which nested on the bottom of 1 Qt. It tasted like the congealed fat from a canned ham. Items; Share. Who could ever forget about C-Rations? Welcome back. Thanks for your. Fishing? 4th infantry, Great article. HI ED- nam 69-70- remember c-rats well. Ive also created a poll to help identify my website audience before leaving, can you please click HERE and choose the one item best describing you. The first and last time I ate that meal. I always wanted to be in the military but because I about cut my foot off as a kid, I could not get in. At An Khe and Bong Son. And my brothers. Was in army boot basic in 1980 Jan I Remer those c and b rations still have my P38 on my Dog tags from boot camp. Every thing else not to bad. 1st tour grunt recon, etc. Nate Hill, Pres, TAC Tankers Assn. Back 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 . We had would get rations of beer and soda dropped off often in the jungles. Smoking the local product might fool Mr. Charles. Photo via Wikipedia. This was so insightful to read! An afternoon like this was a celebration, unfortunately, it only happened about once or twice a month. it seemed like that to me :)) , and shredded beef ( per my visual to call it as such) . I really enjoyed Meat balls & beans. So many times I got something other that ham & Lima so I made out in the bargain department. You can live a long time on just water, so I do not recall being hungry. The blue heat tabs emitted a gas that would burn your eyes and c-4 was harder to locate for us. OK, now that your memory is refreshed, do you remember how you cooked your C-Rations. When I had my first taste of LRP Rations I thought it was food for angels. The local food in Thailand deserves its stellar reputation. $40 . 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. When out on missions, infantry units were re-supplied with food, water, ammunition, clothes and other items by helicopter every three to five days. It was reported in the media that each soldier in Vietnam had a hot meal each day. 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 Gen. Walter S. McIlhenny. all were palatable, but the peaches were outstanding. The foil pieces are 1.75"x1.75" and 1.75"x6" in size. You don't want soldiers in war zones endangering their health! The accessory pack with each meal was sealed in a foil pouch. Dec 18, 2011. Pork Slices Ingredients: Hey Fred, I was with the same unit as you except I was in B Company, August of 69 through June of 70. The C-4 was safe to use as long as it wasnt compressed or using too much at one time. We sometimes ran out of C-rats, especially when we couldnt get resupply because the runway on our LZ was damaged by mortar attacks. Even though America gov. 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. In 1975 they stopped putting cigarettes in rations which raised hell with US troops everywhere. We burned and buried the last ones in the system in1986 in the Sinai desert. C-rats. 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 ( ? 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. Havent heard that in eons. 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. Water was critical. 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.