God bless you and I hope that this note finds you well, Sir. We would get a hot meal maybe onced a month. Hi mates, good paragraph and fastidious urging commented here, I am genuinely enjoying by these. Fox 2/7 Marines 0311 June 1969/June 1970. $40.00 WW2 German Patronenkasten 88 Ammunition Crate $150.00 WW1 German Patronenkasten 88 Ammunition Crate $150.00 WW1 British and Commonwealth Biscuit Ration Crate $90.00 That part didn't last long after the war, as the dangers of smoking cigarettes became more widely known. 2nd tour, NO problem, LOACH pilot and home every night if I didnt get shot down! It would burn hotter and was much better for heating water. Found four P38s still in the brown paper wrapping that I brought back from Nam in Dec. 72. The Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) was the name of canned wet combat rations issued by the United States Armed Forces from 1958 to 1980. Pleasure speaking to you. When out on missions, infantry units were re-supplied with . The coffee, sugar, creamer and hot cocoa came in paper envelopes. 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). Spicy Beef, One of my favorite meat dishes in a case of Cs. 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. 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. 3-1969 to Feb 1970. There was a reason they were called Ham & Motherfuckers. Original was from a formerly unopened original accessory pack. The ham and eggs were inedible. One case of C-Rations contained 6 rations. It was reported in the media that each soldier in Vietnam had a hot meal each day. 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. Hey Fred, I was with the same unit as you except I was in B Company, August of 69 through June of 70. I am a VA RN and a volunteer wildland firefighter / EMT-B. I have a few fng stories about Cs. Only once was stupid enough to eat the WHOLE LRRP ration at onne, swells up pretty big after the water goes down! Bill McD Serving in the Marine corps the beef stew in cans, cold,! 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. During the 1960s C-ration cigarettes were identical to the sample packs of four that tobacco salesreps handed out to the public. I was there during the transition from C-Rats to MREs during the early 80s. When I was in AIT training, I can remember eating the fortified chocolate wafers made at the Wilber Chocolate factory in Lititz, PA. 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. got there 170 pounds left at a 110 pounds. And how did those taste? I really enjoyed reading these replies about c-rations and your experiences in Vietnam. Remember chunks of pork with an inch of grease on top. 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. A small chunk of C-4 explosive could also be substituted for the Trioxin tablet for faster heating. Mass-2 Marine attached to the 3rd Marine Div. . I was barely more than a toddler during the Vietnam war, and am a non- veteran. yes i remember . I have great memories of C-Rations. We were supplied by air drops and you ran to the pallet to get the best c ration unit. 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. It was a great job. fruit cocktail about to down it and a 60mm blasted my can out or Best Offer +C $14.58 shipping. However, brilliant military minds said we could not eat there and our 12 hour shifts were intense preventing us from taking a journey to the other side. My father used to grumble about C-rations from his service in WWII, also, so it was interesting to read this site. For the new guys flying for the first time, we never let them know how to do it. Kindest regards. Put 1 slice on the bottom of the 2 cans with attached lids. As I recall, only about 30% of the soldiers in my platoon did not smoke. Ad vertisement from shop noviopera. It was such a shock to my system that I had diarrhea for a week! Used to put them on the voltage regulators to heat. It was illustrated by Fred Rhoads. Non-smokers were known to swap the C-rats cigarette. Moak said he wasnt worried about getting sick from any bacteria that may have gotten into the old can, because it looked sealed. Every thing else not to bad. I will call and order. The 1st Inf Div was not allowed beer in the field due to some previous incident. It smells good, Moak said as he put a handful in his mouth. meal eggs always looked greenish . The daily ration of 3 meals provides approximately 3600 calories." There were 4 choices of meat in each B group. recovered jeep. We would either just add sugar pack and eat. At topa C-ration with P-38 can opener. A must have item for your helmet display, uniform or gear. 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. Then mix a bunch of mosquito repellent in about a half of can.use the rest of the peanut better on the very thick (hard tack) crackers!! I had 2 brothers in the military, one in the marines, one in the army. I thought that smoking American cigarettes was a big mistake. Each ration was composed of a B-unit and a M-unit; total weight was approximately 7 pounds. Vietnam Equipment VE-547 Choice Vietnam Jungle Boots, size 12. $40 . Typical commercial brands issued in the cigarette rations in Vietnam were: Camel, Chesterfield, Kent, Kool, Lucky Strike, Marlboro, Pall Mall, Salem, or Winston. Brings back a lot of memories. The cigarettes were even contaminated with bugs ! I remember the first time we got to sample some Cs just after we went threw the gas obstacle back in basic training. 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. In the field 90% of my tour. Vintage C Ration Accessory Pack, No Cigarettes $8.00 $5.85 shipping or Best Offer Vintage 1971 Vietnam Era Military C Ration Can Fortified Peanut Butter Kern Food $14.44 Was: $16.99 $4.31 shipping Only 1 left! canteens inside a canvas or nylon cover attached to web gear or ruck sacks, or the actual cans that C rations were canned. I destroyed my taste buds eating my Moms cooking. A stove was usually carried in the back pack or cargo pocket and used repeatedly until the metal began to fail. About C-Rations. Cigarettes, once considered crucial to American fighting men, have sadly gone the way of the daily rum ration. A generation full of Peace&Love did not belong in Vietnam ever! This is a very nice Vietnam Era Survival Kit & Ration Packaging collectors set, with great display potential. Anyone able to help me out? Thank you for taking the time to read this. We burned and buried the last ones in the system in1986 in the Sinai desert. Beans an winnies the best.ham and eggs always green no way I would eat it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4th infantry, Great article. Vietnam War C-Ration Cigarette Pack Lucky Strike Repro Opens in a new window or tab. I got a flashback Ill never forget those days Sometimes I would eat the pineapples, bananas or coconuts if I could get them. Sometimes I auction off a pack of cigarettes and the highest bidder will give me a whole C-Rat meal. The brands I remember are: Marlboro, Winston, Camel, Pall Mall, Old Gold, Raleigh, Salem, Kool, Chesterfield, Newport & Lucky Strike . Loved the lerps when we could get them. crispy critters burn victims CS Your email address will not be published. all were palatable, but the peaches were outstanding. Replace with VO or whatever whiskey you can find. The ration was very heavy, weighing 5 lbs . Ha, ha! We got a hot meal in the jungle only after a firefight. Well not like from our great restaurants. Forty years later, Henry A. Moak, Jr., still loves his pound cake. The last two I couldn`t eat and they found botulism in the beans and I almost starved . Remember c rats well . I , however, could not find its same taste and flavor in America after 30 years in USA. In 1975 they stopped putting cigarettes in rations which raised hell with US troops everywhere. Ill never eat C-Rations again, but I can remember when I was glad to have them. At An Khe and Bong Son. Thought it was really good. Ah! Patrick Douglas Erb was there from Oct.20,1970-March 15,1971. The standard ration pack issued to infantrymen in Vietnam was the Australian Combat Ration (One Man). Dan DMZ M/co 1969 USMC Hill 461 Sieara Rock Pile , Stud, LZ MAC chopper down! Excellent !! On the way we had C-Rats, I liked the Ham and Lima beans, they were easy to trade for as a lot of guys like you did not like them. Never ate either one of these meals while in country. It? U.S. Army photo $90 VE-545 Can Opener from the C-Ration Crate. Abovecrew members on a UH-1 helicopter deliver C-rations to soldiers in the field during the Vietnam War. Thank you for taking the time to write this article. Would turn to soup. Cigarettes were bad for your health along with bullets. CA. 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. My father told me that it was a food container, made of stainless steel, where the lid doubles as a frying pan of a sort, and the strap handle could extend into a handle for the pan (I hope that made sense..). Wow brings back a lot of memories. I liked the Cs better. 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. Warrant officer. When I was in there were four: apricots, pears, fruit cocktail and peaches. Although the meat item can be eaten cold, it is more palatable when heated. U.S.A.F. Within shouting distance of us was a huge Marine Mess. Vietnam C Rations and Stuff Cigarette Coupons Free Printable Free Coupons By Mail Newport Cigarettes Nostalgia Marlboro Cigarette Vintage Metal Signs Okinawa American History Vietnam War - included in each C-Ration; great for batering if a non-smoker Military Life Military History Military Food Veterans United Military Signs Military Ranks Cigarettes were bad for your health along with bullets. Nuac mam.gag. Viet Nam most of 68. THE C-RATIONS I ATE IN VIETNAM IN 1970 WERE DATED 1943 THATS 27 YRS OLD AND Often got Cs that had been packaged right after the Korean war. Stumbled across this interesting site. 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. 1966-67 Only down fall was it was instant heart burn. Even though America gov. You brought back a lot of memories. View history. I came from Landisville PA in Lancaster County that was only 12 miles from Lititz. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. Items; Share. c-4 was the best for heating, some 4th inf.