vietnam c ration cigarettes
The accessory pack with each meal was sealed in a foil pouch. At topa C-ration with P-38 can opener. We always had plenty of rice. Original Vietnam era US Military C Ration white plastic Spoon.From C Ration 382314172092. 1 for 5 5 for 20 20 for 40 Keep an . Thanks again. about fruit cocktail. The Vietnamese will sit for hours with a homemade fishing pole fishing. In the aviation community wed take a can of biscuits, poke holes in it, pour some JP4 into it, and voila a stove!! Its chief use was to hold several ounces of insect repellant, which we then set afire and used in place of a heat tab, which were in short supply. 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. I got to Vietnam in July 1967. I really enjoyed Meat balls & beans. Each complete meal contains approximately 1200 calories. When I first got to Vietnam and was assigned to an infantry battalion in the field, I started eating Cs three meals per day. Beans an winnies the best.ham and eggs always green no way I would eat it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2.03M subscribers Subscribe 129K 9.7M views 6 years ago Check out this full review of a Vietnam War MCI or "C Ration"! 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. 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. 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. 4.) Would turn to soup. Never saw anyone eat pound cake without spitting it out. Never told 2nd Lts about the hazards of heating an un-opened can. The C-4 was safe to use as long as it wasnt compressed or using too much at one time. DONT HOW THEY PRESEVERED THEM BUT THEY DID A GOOG JOB TSGT CLARENCE C WOODY USAF. 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. The brothers always would trade for Menthols. 2nd tour, NO problem, LOACH pilot and home every night if I didnt get shot down! When I was in AIT training, I can remember eating the fortified chocolate wafers made at the Wilber Chocolate factory in Lititz, PA. Almost never saw heat tabs , we called them c tabs they didnt want us to have flames. (Obviously some supply sergeant made himself a bunch of money.) Move away from the Chopper and light with matches from C-rat. One thing I remember about Cs was the fruit. meal eggs always looked greenish . As the Doughboys went to France, the ration changed. when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. 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 always thankful that there was a medic around after I ate the Spiced Beef. I always wanted to be in the military but because I about cut my foot off as a kid, I could not get in. I can't find my links right now, but a little bit of searching should turn them up pretty easily. Mass-2 Marine attached to the 3rd Marine Div. Most of them were manufactured the year I was born, or the next after. 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. But themilitarydiscourages eating from old rations. My older sister, younger brother and I could only imagine what those canned meals tasted like. I was a crechief on Hueys who resupplied you guys. The "Honcho Club". Everyone I knew always had a John Wayne (P-38) can opener on his dogtag chain and a plastic spoon in his pocket. 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! Oh man, I love your story. A small chunk of C-4 explosive could also be substituted for the Trioxin tablet for faster heating. We already carried 4 5 quart canteens to keep hydrated until the next resupply. unopened vietnam c-ration accessory pack with cigarettes. I too was in Berlin during the cold war. Ill never eat C-Rations again, but I can remember when I was glad to have them. My dad knew few young kind and handsome American colleagues that I admired and impressed at that time. wished Id known that neat way of PBJ. B9719 VIETNAM ERA US Military C Ration Spoon in plastic bag IR19A - $16.35. We used to make stoves by using a can opener to open up the two sides of a small can on both sides (which were then pushed in). Cigarettes were bad for your health along with bullets. We had c-rats (MCIs) in basic and in Germany on FTX until about 83, then we got MREs over there. Use the removed lid to cut 4 thin slices from the biscuit, toss the unused biscuits. Must have been super hot. No heat tablets before Vietnam. I was the lucky one that LIKED ham and Lima beans! C-Rations are commercially prepared meals, used in the field and at times when hot meals were not available. We went through East Germany on the Autobahn to Holiefields in Weat Germany for a training mission. ;~) Might you, or anyone else have an idea? Now you could use an ammo box with a thousand rounds instead of the standard ammo box and metal feed chute limited to 300 rounds. Contents:12 ounces of bacon or one pound of meat (usually canned Corned Beef), two 8-ounce cans of hard bread or hardtack biscuits, a packet of 1.16 ounces of pre-ground coffee, a packet of 2.4 ounces of granulated sugar, and a packet of 0.16 ounces of salt. There are several websites dedicated to US military combat rations that show all the brands. When were cigarettes removed from C rations? , Just looking at a can of Ham and MFers makes me wanna puke. That was like eating the congealed fat from a canned ham. C-rations and m-60 mechine gun and GOD are what got me through tough times . It was such a shock to my system that I had diarrhea for a week! The popular brands like Winston, Marlboro, Kools and Salem were always in short supply and benefited the non-smokers who used them to barter. Corporal. It was a luck of the draw right after we went through the gas obstacle coarse at basic training. I do! There was a time shortly after making my second move to a new area we got resupplied with a case of fresh onions by mistake. Wait until they run out of cigarettes and trade them for C-Rats. I flew as a Crewchief on a UH-1C Gunship. Hey, I think your website might be having browser compatibility issues. Silly me ! When I was in there were four: apricots, pears, fruit cocktail and peaches. 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. Sold by kragsr4c07 in Great Falls Buy Now! I got ham and eggs. Tastes just like it always did, Mikolashek mumbled with a mouthful of cake as Moak laughed and clapped. 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. Yes they did in WWI, WWII and right up to Vietnam. Even for me being a FNG they were a treat but I didnt appreciate them as much as the old timers did. Each menu contained approximately 1200 calories and consisted of: One canned meat course One canned fruit or cake 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 a common thing to trade C rations for cigarettes. Opening a claymore , take a ball of c 4, light it . or Best Offer +C $14.58 shipping. Since your audience is mostly nam vets, Id guess ALL OF THEM remember c-rats. During the 1960s C-ration cigarettes were identical to the sample packs of four that tobacco salesreps handed out to the public. Today still add sugar to store hot ccco mix and eat it. I thank each of you for all you have done and all the countless sacrifices you made. If somebody liked Lucky Strikes, Parliament, Chesterfields or Pall Malls, they would never run out. Close to Mom!s chocolate cookie mix before she put on the cooking ban to bake. I wanted to see the reality of what the soldiers had to endure. 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. Loved the article brought back a lot of memories. Very interesting. Each ration was composed of a B-unit and a M-unit; total weight was approximately 7 pounds. 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. About C-Rations. The dream of being a SEAL, US Marine, PJ, Delta, Recon, and the like is still very much alive within me to this day. Ad vertisement from shop noviopera. Kevin. I destroyed my taste buds eating my Moms cooking. It would swell up and we wood take it away from the exhaust port until it went back to its original size. Water was critical. Pingback: Feasting on the Frontlines: The Vietnam War Discussing Food History. These meals came in a case containing 12 meals. it seemed like that to me :)) , and shredded beef ( per my visual to call it as such) . At times we actually had to buy cases of C-rats in Phan Thiet where there was a thriving black market. 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. were dog rations and c rations the same thing? Zone (450 sq miles of mangrove). I do not smoke so I save the small pack of cigarettes. Life-saving use of rations! The Meal, Combat, Individual ( MCI) was a United States military ration of canned and preserved food, issued from 1958 to 1980. It replaced the earlier C-ration, which it was so similar to . Great. Turkey packed in 30 weight motor oil was the worst. 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. My dad knows what its called in Vietnamese, but has no clue what it is in English. Id buy several cases in an instant. 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. Original was from a formerly unopened original accessory pack. Four can openers are provided in each case of 12 meals. We had to heat them on the engine block of a truck or the exhaust grill of a tank. Funny story, Buzz. This is the food US soldiers ate when deployed in the Vietnam War.. Actually, I has been liking and still remember those good smell and tasty of those Military canned food. Smilesnada but smiles. I was an US ARMY Veterinary food inspector from 1967 to 1987. c-4 was the best for heating, some 4th inf. Every thing else not to bad. Free delivery for many products! Great walk down memory lane. I say all and families because a Military person has or had people waiting for them and worrying about them. Very well written and important for us who did not serve due to age ( too young) to learn about this, Excellent; I ate C rats in Korea in 1960-61, and in Vietnam 65-66. Well presented and will share with fellow Vietnam veterans and family. German military outfitter Bausenwein is offering brand new, reproduction C-rations. We had would get rations of beer and soda dropped off often in the jungles. I wish that cigarettes were never part of those C-rations. My favorite was, Ham & Eggs Chopped. Required fields are marked *. 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. Although the meat item can be eaten cold, it is more palatable when heated. What brands of cigarettes were in C-Rations? All individual empty cans and trash were buried prior to leaving the table unless he had another use for one of the cans. Due to health concerns, cigarettes were eliminated from the MCI accessory packs in 1975. When out on missions, infantry units were re-supplied with . Military explosives are designed to go through combat. I thought that smoking American cigarettes was a big mistake. C-Rations used in Vietnam This is the official US 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. Cigarettes, once considered crucial to American fighting men, have sadly gone the way of the daily rum ration. Sounds like a lot of B S to me. I got pretty good at stealing C4 to cook with , and those LRRP rations . New Reproduction C-Rations Available. Welcome back. I was a high-speed radio operator (MOS 062) during the peacetime years 1955-58, after Korea and before Vietnam. Smoking the local product might fool Mr. Charles. Some of the meals werent too bad, especially if somebody from home sent Heinz-57 Sauce or Hot Sauce to doctor them up. I was with the 173rd Airborne/2ndBn 503rd Infantry. Right? canteens inside a canvas or nylon cover attached to web gear or ruck sacks, or the actual cans that C rations were canned. Meals such as beef stew, spaghetti and meatballs, chili and others were a wonderful diversion from the mundane canned food we were subjected to. 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. The Food Service Officer (Canadian Major) thought she got a deal on them. Love the pound cake especially if you saved the fruit cocktail and ate them together. During the monsoon season or in areas with rivers and streams, this is a moot point as water is plentiful! C $19.38. Most used their canteen cups, which nested on the bottom of 1 Qt. In the field 90% of my tour. The Red Cross also distributedletters from school children, church groups and others for us to read and respond in kind. Due to health concerns, cigarettes were eliminated from the accessory packs in 1975. 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. PHU BAI, CAMP CARROLL, NAM 66/67. Service. Only down fall was it was instant heart burn. Broight back some memories for me from my year in the bush. Levine named the threats as mold and deadly botulism if the sealing on the food has been broken, which isnt always visible. Vietnam C Ration Cigarette : Top Picked from our Experts $40 . Did not see mention of toothpick that you chewed one end for toothbrush ( sucked). 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. THEY WERE STILL GOOD. It was just what I needed. Great article, I was USMC 1966/67 Vietnam. Since Cs were pre-cooked, they didnt need to be heated up, but it helped. 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. $50: VE-1125 Vietnam Grenade Carrier. I considered serving with the US Armed Forces on countless occasions however I have an old skateboarding injury in my foot and ankle and hardware that came with it that ultimately made me decide to serve domestically. The new menu (late 1968 onward) included good stuff like beans & weenies. Should you have a question or comment about this article, then scroll down to the comment section below to leave your response. ate a lot as a kid . During the 1960s C-ration cigarettes were identical to the sample packs of four that tobacco salesreps handed out to the public. You could take a rats head off at 20 feet with them. He would flatly refuse to eat canned Spam when I was a young girl, saying it reminded him of those C rations! Forgot to mention earlier that battalion sometimes surprises us during resupply and brings out hot food in thermos containers. The only thing I find myself craving from time to time was the instant coffee with of course dry creamer and sugar although I think it was making it in one of the C ration cans that gave it that special flavor. Stumbled across this interesting site. Each soldier was issued three boxes per day containing breakfast, dinner and supper. Semper Fi. 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. The section on C-rations brought waves of memories of those days. It`s the meal that had the pound cake. i was in from 1966 to 1972. i never ate a c ration that was younger than me. It does take one way back. I have the greatest respect for the grunts they did it with ingenuity and a lot of common sense. Just askin, BTW: I grew up in New Orleans and knew many of the McIlhenny family. You brought back a lot of memories. 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. Issued as one boxed ration per person per day. There was a reason they were called Ham & Motherfuckers. It smells good, Moak said as he put a handful in his mouth. Nov 16, 2013 at 2338hrs, Being an MACV Advisor C-rations always tasted good when ever we had a chance to beg some. I always enjoyed the pears and it went great with the pound cake. When we shut down to eat we would use our really long pliers to hold the meal as the ship was running down. got there 170 pounds left at a 110 pounds. Currahee. These reminiscences take me back. vet 69-73 does any one have a recipe for meat and beans? I have a few fng stories about Cs. In 1966 during the Vietnam war Brig. Pingback: Remember C-Rations? It let off a whooshing sound as the pressure seal broke. 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. Abandoned my country, Vietnam, in 1975, but that did not make me hating them. We sometimes ran out of C-rats, especially when we couldnt get resupply because the runway on our LZ was damaged by mortar attacks. If you lucked into the peach can, you could trade it for almost anything. When absolutely necessary, Id empty the water and spoon in a can of cheese, melting it together with a ball of C-4. 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. I got my first to a pack. The desserts and the B units got better, too. I was barely more than a toddler during the Vietnam war, and am a non- veteran. Scottie Hill CW4(Ret) Ret. 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. The standard ration pack issued to infantrymen in Vietnam was the Australian Combat Ration (One Man). When out on missions, infantry units were re-supplied with food, water, ammunition, clothes and other items by helicopter every three to five days. B-unit: (3) 12 ounce cans of bread, coffee and sugar. $100 VE-546 Choice Vietnam Jungle Boots, size 12. 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. Spent almost 2 yrs in Northern I corps. 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. 1 empty C-Ration box 1 toilet paper pack 1 book of matches 1 plastic spoon 1 P-38 can opener Open all 5 cans with the P-38 leaving the lids slightly attached on 2 biscuit cans. 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. 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. 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 ! and heat a canteen cup of water and it provided you with quick hot water or c rations. I found this very interesting Really love your stories. Patrick Douglas Erb was there from Oct.20,1970-March 15,1971. We, the Army Inspectors, condemned them all. SO, GOD BLESS YOU ALL. We got a hot meal in the jungle only after a firefight. 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. In 1968-69 I ate c-rations that were older than I was. C rations boxes contained three meals for each of eight men.