All those you show here was my usual meals at the jungle in Vietnam. German military outfitter Bausenwein is offering brand new, reproduction C-rations. 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. Always cigarettes, toilet paper and matches. 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. 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. needs p38 please, thank you!my last original.took leave three yrs ago..jeep became stolen The military teaches you to be a thief . The dream of being a SEAL, US Marine, PJ, Delta, Recon, and the like is still very much alive within me to this day. I , however, could not find its same taste and flavor in America after 30 years in USA. Usually the coffee, sugar and creamer had to be worked over with a bayonet pommel to reconstitute it into powder. Click Here for web printable Marlboro Cigarettes from C-Ration Accessory Pack. 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. And at 75 years old, thats a blessing. Smilesnada but smiles. Meal, Combat, Individual ration | Vietnam War | Fandom To you and to all the crew chiefs and gunners, from the bottom of my heart, I say thank you. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all of these posted messages about C rations, even though Ive never tasted even one bite of food from one of those cans. Dear Chrissy, Smoke, if you got 'em.C-Ration cigarettes But I read as much as I can get my hands on about what it was like to have served in those times. would love to find a rec for them now Anything a dog wont eat should not be consumed by a human. Thought it was really good. 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. We were the first army division in the first corps at that time. OK, now that your memory is refreshed, do you remember how you cooked your C-Rations. I was the in house inspector at Granite State packing from 72 until 75. Doc Shyab. Fortunately I was able to run down a medic with some antacid. When were cigarettes removed from C rations? Corporal. Despite the new name, the MCI was still popularly referred to by the troops as "C-Rations" (or "Charlie rats"), which it resembled in nearly all respects. it seemed like that to me :)) , and shredded beef ( per my visual to call it as such) . $45: VE-1225 Vietnam Boxed lock and keys. It woul heat a bunch of c-rats. 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. I really enjoyed Meat balls & beans. I will always remember that time 1967-68 The daily ration of 3 meals provides approximately 3600 calories." There were 4 choices of meat in each B group. So it was c-rats for at least two meals a night. Hill 55 out of DaNang. Anyway, you made my day this morning. Welcome Home my brothers & Sisters. Pingback: Remember C-Rations? Also read a lot about their c-rat experiences too. Mostly they were awful but I was lucky. I remember that there were no hot meals and you learned the hard way what each unit in the box contained. 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. I liked Ham and M..f That meant I always had plenty to eat. I served in Co. B, 1/12th, 1st Air Cav I 1967-68. HI ED- nam 69-70- remember c-rats well. Other then that, fantastic blog! 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. Often got Cs that had been packaged right after the Korean war. Great walk down memory lane. The Armycolonelpopped open an old military C Ration can of pound cake from 1969 at his retirement ceremony, and dug in. Did not see mention of toothpick that you chewed one end for toothbrush ( sucked). I flew as a Crewchief on a UH-1C Gunship. Division base camps and some larger firebases had staffed mess halls, serving three hot meals every day. My two favorites were green eggs and ham and yes, ham and lima beans. Ive heard so many stories of my fathers childhood in Vietnam; How hed rush out to the roadside and beg American soldiers for their B-Unit snacks, or how he, along with his brothers and cousins, would rummage through the wilderness in hopes of finding c-ration meals, but I was never quite able to picture the things he described in my mind. 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! Replace with VO or whatever whiskey you can find. Not to bad either! 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. Today still add sugar to store hot ccco mix and eat it. I am a VA RN and a volunteer wildland firefighter / EMT-B. View history. Beans an winnies the best.ham and eggs always green no way I would eat it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! meal eggs always looked greenish . I know, stupid MF but what the heck, its just ham. It was a luck of the draw right after we went through the gas obstacle coarse at basic training. And in spite of all their faults, I do sometimes miss C-Rats, especially the Pound Cake! A whole heat tab had to be used. A small chunk of C-4 explosive could also be substituted for the Trioxin tablet for faster heating. C-Rations | Charlie Company Vietnam 1966-1972 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. And to you Vietnam soldierswelcome home sincerely wished to you all. Open the cracker can leaving the lid attached, fill half way with dirt, then drain some JP-4 from under the Huey in to the can. What is wrong with me? Many boxes of C's had WWII dates, but the smokers still smoked the cigarettes from those old boxes. It had a flavor I can not duplicate to this day. It consisted of three meals sealed in a plastic bag together with items such as a can opener/spoon, matches, toilet paper, etc. C-ration cigarettes were discontinued in 1972. 1966-67 Everybody liked Pound Cake, but there was only (1) box per case that had it. you have any idea how the mean and beans were made have never found a close substitute for them. It was a common thing to trade C rations for cigarettes. Looked for the fruit cans mostly, but some of the other items were tasty too. Put 1 slice on the bottom of the 2 cans with attached lids. Not sure how the armor units split their meals. description of C-Rations used in Vietnam: The small cans included in the meal were ideal for making a stove. My last CO loved them. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. We called it Coco mo. It`s the meal that had the pound cake. I came from Landisville PA in Lancaster County that was only 12 miles from Lititz. C-RATIONS - Brownwater Vietnam Veterans Beef and Rocks, Scrambled Rubber Eggs, Chili, Applesauce, and Shit Disks. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Patrick Douglas Erb was there from Oct.20,1970-March 15,1971. So many times I got something other that ham & Lima so I made out in the bargain department. or Best Offer +C $14.58 shipping. guy came by and collected all our heating tabs said they caused cancer. I WONDER IF HE DIED FROM AGENT ORANGE. I remember the first c-ration meal we received. Its characteristics emphasize utility, flexibility of use, and more variety of food components than were included in the Ration, Combat, Individual (C Ration), which it replaces. DONT HOW THEY PRESEVERED THEM BUT THEY DID A GOOG JOB TSGT CLARENCE C WOODY USAF. Back The MCI was intended as a modest improvement over the earlier canned Type C or C ration, with inclusion . the outer layer of clear plastic is starting to delaminate from the brown plastic. 1st tour grunt recon, etc. You brought back a lot of memories. Thank you for your time. Each soldier was issued three boxes per day containing breakfast, dinner and supper. Great article, I was USMC 1966/67 Vietnam. 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. 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. 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. Everyone like cake after that. Chrissy Typical commercial brands issued in the cigarette rations in Vietnam were: Camel, Chesterfield, Kent, Kool, Lucky Strike, Marlboro, Pall Mall, Salem, or Winston. It replaced the earlier C-ration, which it was so similar to . For the new guys flying for the first time, we never let them know how to do it. The military marches on its stomach - Sidney Daily News Overlooked Military Surplus -- Vietnam era Field Gear Thumbnail Display Voilatoasted cheese sandwich. Loved the article brought back a lot of memories. Well presented and will share with fellow Vietnam veterans and family. Each complete meal contains approximately 1200 calories. In 1975 they stopped putting cigarettes in rations which raised hell with US troops everywhere. George Newport dynamite and dirt merchant Combat Engineer. There was a reason they were called Ham & Motherfuckers. Ur full of it Old Marine. C Rations & D Rations from WW2 and Korea - Digger History If you lucked into the peach can, you could trade it for almost anything. l would buy and eat them today if someone was to make em. They were pretty good .Carried a container of onion salt , and garlic salt for the C rations . Non-smokers were known to swap the C-rats cigarette. My dad died in Vietnam in 1965. Thanks for summing up all the C-ration experiences. Being from MN was my home connection. Dont have any Cs any more, but still got several P-38s, three still sealed in the brown paper. Good grief.that was 50 years ago and I had just turned 18. https://charliecompany.org/2012/04/20/c-rations/ Reply With []. Also sometimes we added the sugar, creamer, and coffee park in the coco package adding a little water mixing it up. 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. 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. Living in Florida, for years I kept a couple of cases of Cs on hand as part of my hurricane supplies. 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. 2.03M subscribers Subscribe 129K 9.7M views 6 years ago Check out this full review of a Vietnam War MCI or "C Ration"! Vintage Meal Combat Individual Accessory Packet The Vietnamese will sit for hours with a homemade fishing pole fishing. 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. Enjoy! During the monsoon season or in areas with rivers and streams, this is a moot point as water is plentiful! I was a crechief on Hueys who resupplied you guys. In the aviation community wed take a can of biscuits, poke holes in it, pour some JP4 into it, and voila a stove!! TM 21 1965. The C-4 was safe to use as long as it wasnt compressed or using too much at one time. Hi mates, good paragraph and fastidious urging commented here, I am genuinely enjoying by these. The popular meals and cans of pound cake, peaches and fruit cocktail were prized and worth their weight in gold many soldiers hoarding them to barter for items during evening chow breaks; only one of each are included in every case of meals. Photo via Wikipedia. God bless you and I hope that this note finds you well, Sir. 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. taste of C-rats in 1975 in basic training at Fort Polk La. Little known or unpopular brands. 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. 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. 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. They Tried! When I look at your blog in Opera, it looks fine but and "M" (meat) units, each menu contained an accessory packet, fruit, and cigarettes. When out on missions, infantry units were re-supplied with food, water, ammunition, clothes and other items by helicopter every three to five days. C-rats. Pound cake was one f the favorites in my platoon. We were at the end of the supply line so we ate a lot of C-rations. Vietnam War-Stories.com: Phu Bai, Seabees: C-Rations descritpion I Opened Some C-Rations From The Vietnam War And This Is What Happened $79.95 Vietnam Us Army It was reported in the media that each soldier in Vietnam had a hot meal each day. Well not like from our great restaurants. Forty years later, Henry A. Moak, Jr., still loves his pound cake. You don't want soldiers in war zones endangering their health! While on this maneuver I celebrated my birthday by having grape jelly with my pound cake. I have an entire case of unopened C rations from 1969 for sale on Ebay right now. Toward the end of my tour, we began having access to the freeze-dried LRRP meals. were dog rations and c rations the same thing? Sometimes I auction off a pack of cigarettes and the highest bidder will give me a whole C-Rat meal. Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) | MRE Info Daddys description was not very glowing! We just heated ours with a ball of C-4, i.e., after opening the can. Loved the lerps when we could get them. 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. 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. Dec 18, 2011. Im also interested in the mail service during this time period. Last time I tried to replace my Cs the price had gone out of sight. I thank each of you for all you have done and all the countless sacrifices you made. When I was in there were four: apricots, pears, fruit cocktail and peaches. 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. It tasted like delicious warm and moist cake fresh from the bakery. So I gave my last Cs to a Boy Scout Troop and switched to freeze-dried packets (civilian version of MREs) . It would explain a lot of the stupid decisions Ive made over the years. 10 days later gulfort, mississippi.. jus lemme have a p38.. vet 69-73 does any one have a recipe for meat and beans? I cannot tell you how happy I am to have stumbled across your post! Back in 1958 while flying the Pacific we had only Cs for flight lunches on aerial Tankers. The standard ration pack issued to infantrymen in Vietnam was the Australian Combat Ration (One Man). General Delivery Silver Springs Fl.34489 USA C-Rations | Charlie Company Vietnam 1966-1972 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. These meals came in a case containing 12 meals. the cigarettes are sold as a 50 year old collectible and are not intended for consumption. C-packs also contained cartons of Cigaretts, M&Ms and other favorites, Cigarettes were bad for your health along with bullets. $50: VE-1125 Vietnam Grenade Carrier. The Red Cross also distributedletters from school children, church groups and others for us to read and respond in kind. Sorry 11Bs I always took my favorite out first. Check my other listings for different quantities. of my hand did not care about cut hand But mad till this day 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. 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. Military explosives? 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. MACTHAI advisor here. That was the beginning of the Tet Offensive and the hot meals were few. Moak got the drab olive can as a Marine helicopter pilot off the Vietnamese coast in 1973. Well, my friends, let me refresh your memory and tell you everything you need to know but have forgotten about those wonderful meals. I too was in Berlin during the cold war. I explored the possibility of having the hardware removed and obtaining a medical waiver, but the consultation I received from docs and my own inner wisdom left me deciding on the path I am currently on. made it somehow. Oh, the memories. Funny story, Buzz. Balance food to be heated on bent over lid and can while fire heat main course. 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. What brands of cigarettes were in C-Rations? The History of Military Rations - vfwpost2913.com . 1 for 5 5 for 20 20 for 40 Keep an . Our company left San Diego with a Navy Band giving us Marines a memorable send off. A couple of days later our friend David called and told us that there was a problem with the sauce. Hated Ham and Lima beans. 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. 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. There are several websites dedicated to US military combat rations that show all the brands. Took me back,soldier. Should you have a question or comment about this article, then scroll down to the comment section below to leave your response. My favorite recipewas to get a can of bread from the B-3 unit and a can of cheese from a B-2 unit; open both cans but do not take off the lid; place both cans in an empty B Unit box; light the box on fire until it burns completely; remove the bread and open it; pour the melted cheese over the bread and voila a toasted cheese sandwich. It does take one way back. I was a helicopter crew chief in 1967 with the 25th Infantry out of Cu Chi. 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. The first and last time I ate that meal. Thank you so much. 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. My favorite was, Ham & Eggs Chopped. Through some investigation he found the manufacturer of it was Sara Lee. 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. Same when I came out of the field and started eating mess-hall chow regularly. Agree pound cake slice it mix choc sugar creamer make icing. In the fall of this year I will be in a paramedic program. I lived on peaches & pound cake for breakfast with hot chocolate. Each meal was in its own cardboard box, which contained the individual items sealed in cans. Medevac. PDF Vietnam Era C-Ration Cigarette Pack - HardScrabble Farm He would flatly refuse to eat canned Spam when I was a young girl, saying it reminded him of those C rations! (Obviously some supply sergeant made himself a bunch of money.) 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. C rations boxes contained three meals for each of eight men. 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. One case of C-Rations contained 6 rations. Less known is that an unlikely snack . from United Kingdom. all were palatable, but the peaches were outstanding. and heat a canteen cup of water and it provided you with quick hot water or c rations. Keeping the Troops in the Field. Part 1: Rations - Australia`s Vietnam War yes i remember . I got to Vietnam in July 1967. Dan DMZ M/co 1969 USMC Hill 461 Sieara Rock Pile , Stud, LZ MAC chopper down! PHU BAI, CAMP CARROLL, NAM 66/67. Vietnam c-rations #1.mpg - YouTube 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. Semper Fidelis. 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. These reminiscences take me back. But it was usually raining. Within shouting distance of us was a huge Marine Mess. Three of us hailed a cab & that older gent stopped & bought us a six pack. $100.00 Vintage Complete Sealed Vintage Complete Sealed Vietnam Era Us C Rations Accessory Packet Wspoon Vintage Complete Sealed Vietnam Era Us C Rations Accessory Packet Wspoon. But themilitarydiscourages eating from old rations. c ration cigarettes for sale | eBay I was an infantry radio operator with the 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division, located in the Hiep Duc. Remember c rats well . 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. As a Army pilot, I knew this well. Explore Vietnam C Ration Cigarette with all the useful information below including suggestions, reviews, top brands, and related recipes,. Right? Gentlemen, I was wondering if you ever ate at a local shack/stall in town or did you ever go fishing? Now I know why I lost 40 LBs. I want to thank all the men and women who served in Vietnam. Steve Miller Your email address will not be published. These were the times that made it ok. Remembering Vietnam: Heating C-Rations with a Pinch of C-4 Im writing a book which is fiction loosely based on my real experience for ages 10-14. It got to taste good warm after you got used to it. never gave that a thought until now. Move away from the Chopper and light with matches from C-rat. Vietnam C Rations and Stuff - Pinterest Some of the guys cannot stand to watch me eat one. Required fields are marked *. In and around Quang Tri with side trips to Hue, Khe San & Dong Ha. In 1925, the meat ration was replaced with canned pork and beans. | 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. During World War II, C-Rations included a cigarette packet of nine cigarettes. As the Doughboys went to France, the ration changed. 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. They were the best canned peaches Ive ever had. Cigarettes and Smoking in Vietnam | Hotel 2/5 Vietnam Marines 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). Vintage Veitnam Era Military " C" Rations Pack of Cigarettes Unopened I also still have my P-38. I say all and families because a Military person has or had people waiting for them and worrying about them. You could buy cases of beer and soda too. The K-ration, developed by University of Minnesota physician Ancel Keys, provided three complete and balanced, 3,000-calorie meals in compact packages. What I have here are various types of B units from year . Must have been super hot. Using a John Wayne (a P-38) pierce a series of closely spaced holes around the top and bottom rims of the can. I always made it in a c rat can. 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. Vietnam Veteran Keeps Vow, Eats 40-Year-Old CakeFriday , July 24, 2009. Wow brings back a lot of memories. Some of the meals werent too bad, especially if somebody from home sent Heinz-57 Sauce or Hot Sauce to doctor them up.