vietnam c ration cigarettes
Ha, ha! 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. Dont have any Cs any more, but still got several P-38s, three still sealed in the brown paper. This is the officialQuartermastersdescription 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 bread and voila a toasted cheese sandwich. I do! During the 1960s C-ration cigarettes were identical to the sample packs of four that tobacco salesreps handed out to the public. 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. always seemed to get to to the carton last an last was trash eating. The daily ration of 3 meals provides approximately 3600 calories." There were 4 choices of meat in each B group. . Today still add sugar to store hot ccco mix and eat it. The Meal, Combat, Individual ( MCI) was a United States military ration of canned and preserved food, issued from 1958 to 1980. Ive often wondered since who made those peaches and if their product is still available. Took me back,soldier. The small cans included in the meal were ideal for making a stove. So it was c-rats for at least two meals a night. Never saw anyone eat pound cake without spitting it out. Thanksgiving and Christmas 1967 saw one beer per guy allotted to the troops. 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. I have a few fng stories about Cs. We had to heat them on the engine block of a truck or the exhaust grill of a tank. and heat a canteen cup of water and it provided you with quick hot water or c rations. I was a dog handler in Vietnam 67-68. The foil pieces are 1.75"x1.75" and 1.75"x6" in size. Scan of original thanks to Dave Stieghan. it seemed like that to me :)) , and shredded beef ( per my visual to call it as such) . If I admit to actually liking and trading for ham & lima beans, does that imply Im strange beyond? Some of the guys cannot stand to watch me eat one. 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 Currahee. Excellent, brought back some good memories. Trying to spread the word to potentially interested people. I agree almost entirely with you assessment of taste and quality and preferences, with one exception: I was a combat photographer with the First Air Cav, and made it my personal mission to photograph an op from each of our original 8 infantry battalions , all of our artillery battalions, and the engineer and cavalry units, plus every company in the Aviation brigade. canteens inside a canvas or nylon cover attached to web gear or ruck sacks, or the actual cans that C rations were canned. 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). During the monsoon season or in areas with rivers and streams, this is a moot point as water is plentiful! We already carried 4 5 quart canteens to keep hydrated until the next resupply. C-rations featured options that included a variety of entrees, like spaghetti and meatballs, turkey loaf, ham and eggs, etc. A combination my Italian wife would cringe at. Tastes just like it always did, Mikolashek mumbled with a mouthful of cake as Moak laughed and clapped. That was when I had the idea to start my own sauce company. Three of us hailed a cab & that older gent stopped & bought us a six pack. Gentlemen, I was wondering if you ever ate at a local shack/stall in town or did you ever go fishing? Welcome back. No heat tablets before Vietnam. C $19.38. In the field 90% of my tour. During World War II, C-Rations included a cigarette packet of nine cigarettes. Brand New. Pingback: Remember C-Rations? Mostly they were awful but I was lucky. Stand tall and thank you for your service. As I remember our C rats were marked 1941 &42. 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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Staf Sargent Larry Bailey. The standard ration pack issued to infantrymen in Vietnam was the Australian Combat Ration (One Man). Levine named the threats as mold and deadly botulism if the sealing on the food has been broken, which isnt always visible. I got a flashback Ill never forget those days Sometimes I would eat the pineapples, bananas or coconuts if I could get them. I was a crechief on Hueys who resupplied you guys. Enjoy! . I was a helicopter crew chief in 1967 with the 25th Infantry out of Cu Chi. Loved the lerps when we could get them. TM 21 1965. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 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. The brands I remember are: Marlboro, Winston, Camel, Pall Mall, Old Gold, Raleigh, Salem, Kool, Chesterfield, Newport & Lucky Strike . In 1968-69 I ate c-rations that were older than I was. Well not like from our great restaurants. Forty years later, Henry A. Moak, Jr., still loves his pound cake. Opening a claymore , take a ball of c 4, light it Scottie Hill CW4(Ret) Ret. In Thailand, sriracha sauce was even better than Tabasco. They loved hearing how Tabasco Sauce made even C-rats mostly palatable. Ahh, comfort food in the middle of the jungle. The Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) was the name of canned wet combat rations issued by the United States Armed Forces from 1958 to 1980. Im writing a book which is fiction loosely based on my real experience for ages 10-14. Hated Ham and Lima beans. OK, now that your memory is refreshed, do you remember how you cooked your C-Rations. Fortunately I was able to run down a medic with some antacid. Little known or unpopular brands. They Tried! 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. Reproduction WW2 German MP40 Transit Case $350.00 WW2 K Ration Heavy Duty Cardboard Packing Box (10 in 1, K Ration, Heffenreffer Beer.) Hot or room temp, either way I always got a major bought of heart burn shortly after consuming the spiced beef. At An Khe and Bong Son. When we were operating our radio nets in the outback wilds of Fort Riley, KS, wed put our If you lucked into the peach can, you could trade it for almost anything. Lots of exploded food and they had to clean up the tail of the ship. This would include various survival items and rations. We, the Army Inspectors, condemned them all. 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. The "Honcho Club". I do remember about a week after I was out in the field we received a case of onions by mistake. This was so insightful to read! Forgot to mention earlier that battalion sometimes surprises us during resupply and brings out hot food in thermos containers. Did you see how expensive they are on Ebay? I flew as a Crewchief on a UH-1C Gunship. I miss the guys I hope all are doing well. Not to bad either! All individual empty cans and trash were buried prior to leaving the table unless he had another use for one of the cans. C-Rations varied considerably through their 20 plus year service. Thanks for summing up all the C-ration experiences. MACTHAI advisor here. Canned meals for use in the field. Pingback: A brief history of coffee in the US military, Your website really help me and my grandson doing a paper on me. Water was critical. Tasted like TNT from the powder charge. It had a flavor I can not duplicate to this day. At topa C-ration with P-38 can opener. Bill McD I have so much respect & admiration for them. fruit cocktail about to down it and a 60mm blasted my can out There wasnt a USMarine anywhere near Saigon. Heres a few of the photos from my page: http://1-22infantry.org/pics4/richard.htm. Today Gover keeps a . 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. Not sure how the armor units split their meals. Packages of 20 cigarettes each are the same as the regular civilian packs and were sold in US Army operated PX stores. Pall Mall, Luckies, Winston, Salem and Benson & Hedges Menthol were five of the brands found in Vietnam era field ration packets. 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. 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. When were cigarettes removed from C rations? We were supplied by air drops and you ran to the pallet to get the best c ration unit. Must have been super hot. I am a VA RN and a volunteer wildland firefighter / EMT-B. a b -1-a unit was the topstobasco was the best.didnt have much time to cook in the 4th inf .but there were times ! When I look at your blog in Opera, it looks fine but Well, my friends, let me refresh your memory and tell you everything you need to know but have forgotten about those wonderful meals. The dilemma here is that water is required for these and at almost three pounds per quart; the extra weight is a consideration. With me it seemed the meals that were my least favorite when I first arrived in country were my favorite ones towards the end of my tour. What I have here are various types of B units from year . We burned and buried the last ones in the system in1986 in the Sinai desert. Voilatoasted cheese sandwich. I ate C rats in Korea in 1960-61, and in Vietnam 65-66. 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. 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 1966 during the Vietnam war Brig. 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. Military explosives are designed to go through combat. I destroyed my taste buds eating my Moms cooking. got there 170 pounds left at a 110 pounds. VE-1226 Cigarette case from the 67TH TAC Recon Wing. 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. Moak joked earlier this week that he hoped the can wouldnt explode. It let off a whooshing sound as the pressure seal broke. Vietnam Us Army Usgi C Ration Boxes Sold by militarydepotga in Woodstock Buy Now! Thank you so much. A typical . God bless you all. I collect all of the C-Rats rejects and I have plenty to eat. 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. Any leads would be greatly appreciated! Moak got the drab olive can as a Marine helicopterpilotoff the Vietnamese coast in 1973. WWII US Army Marine Corps K- Ration inner wax box ration Dinner ad vertisement by noviopera. Serving in the Marine corps the beef stew in cans, cold,! Agree pound cake slice it mix choc sugar creamer make icing. I remember the first time we got to sample some Cs just after we went threw the gas obstacle back in basic training. As an infantry unit our year was pretty much the same as yours. It smells good, Moak said as he put a handful in his mouth. Love the pound cake especially if you saved the fruit cocktail and ate them together. $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. Click Here for web printable Vietnam Boarding Pass. Always let the FNGs learn a lesson the hard way. Every once in awhile they would send us out real food and some Beer and coke. Gun Pilot, B3, the co co package. All those you show here was my usual meals at the jungle in Vietnam. Went back a few months ago, the whole country has changed. 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. Due to health concerns, cigarettes were eliminated from the accessory packs in 1975. ONE ORIGINAL!! Typical commercial brands issued in the cigarette rations in Vietnam were: Camel, Chesterfield, Kent, Kool, Lucky Strike, Marlboro, Pall Mall, Salem, or Winston. Being from MN was my home connection. noviopera From shop noviopera. Army here, 67-70, most of 70 spent in Vietnam. would love to find a rec for them now Photos of dissected original pack & other info is included in the pdf file. We got a hot meal in the jungle only after a firefight. They are not any where near as sensitive as civilian explosives. Vietnam Era C-Ration Cigarette Pack www.hardscrabblefarm.com The photo above shows the components of the cigarette pack. 4th infantry, Great article. A second or B unit might include peanut butter and crackers, chocolate, gum, cigarettes, salt, pepper, and sugar, among other items. I will call and order. 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. Very interesting. 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. Havent heard that in eons. And my brothers. Yuck. 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. Brings back memories of a distant time.. Vietnam C Ration Cigarette : Top Picked from our Experts 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. Never told 2nd Lts about the hazards of heating an un-opened can. I was raised on Spam in South Dakota and Minnesota since Spam is manufactured in Minn. To this day I enjoy Spam sandwiches!! so what did you feed your dog in nam? You could buy cases of beer and soda too. 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. I was a high-speed radio operator (MOS 062) during the peacetime years 1955-58, after Korea and before Vietnam. The absolute worst, in my opinion, was the ham & eggs, chopped. Replace with VO or whatever whiskey you can find. Your email address will not be published. It was just what I needed. Thanks again. Dont forget to stir before putting over fire. These meals came in a case containing 12 meals. $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 These reminiscences take me back. I lived on peaches & pound cake for breakfast with hot chocolate. Once lit it would put out a decent flame..my favorite was spiced beef.but had to be served hot.cold it sucked. It was a great job. In an effort to keep things fair, Ive witnessed squad leaders dumping cases of C-Rations upside down (hiding the name of the meal) and mixing them up to give everyone an equal chance of selecting a popular meal. Through some investigation he found the manufacturer of it was Sara Lee. I was a cold war veteran spending my 3 years in Germany, but we were issued them for field trips, alerts and exercises. Oh, the memories. 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. I remember that there were no hot meals and you learned the hard way what each unit in the box contained. Cs provided a good snack during night-time flight line work. Thank you for taking the time to read this. 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. Viet Nam most of 68. Ive read some books by Vietnam vets and it was also mentioned how to use a c-rat can for the m60. There was also a separate "tobacco . Thanks Freddy Wright. Click Here for web printable Marlboro Cigarettes from C-Ration Accessory Pack. Corporal. Service. I , however, could not find its same taste and flavor in America after 30 years in USA. Twelve different menus are included in the specification. I have great memories of C-Rations. I was there during the transition from C-Rats to MREs during the early 80s. Non-smokers were known to swap the C-rats cigarette. Hey Fred, I was with the same unit as you except I was in B Company, August of 69 through June of 70. 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. And in spite of all their faults, I do sometimes miss C-Rats, especially the Pound Cake! Did not see mention of toothpick that you chewed one end for toothbrush ( sucked). I carry my P38 that i had in Vietnam on my keychain. Military explosives? Brought back lots of memories. If somebody liked Lucky Strikes, Parliament, Chesterfields or Pall Malls, they would never run out. It would swell up and we wood take it away from the exhaust port until it went back to its original size. [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). Living in Florida, for years I kept a couple of cases of Cs on hand as part of my hurricane supplies. BTW, I did some shows with Justin Wilson in New Orleans. I always wanted to be in the military but because I about cut my foot off as a kid, I could not get in. We called it Coco mo. I was the in house inspector at Granite State packing from 72 until 75. CA. My dad knew few young kind and handsome American colleagues that I admired and impressed at that time. Each complete meal contains approximately 1200 calories. 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. t004. Its even a little moist, he said, wiping his mouth. Menu. Left the nam brought one home should have seen the looks I got. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. A better stove was created by simply using the can opener end of a church key (a flat metal device designed to open soft drink and beer containers with a bottle opener on one end and can opener on the other commonly used before the invention of the pull tab and screw-off bottle top) to puncture triangular holes around the top and bottom rims of the can which resulted in a hotter fire and much less fumes. This isnt Larry Craft from Pittsburgh, is it? Anyone able to help me out? Four can openers are provided in each case of 12 meals. Same when I came out of the field and started eating mess-hall chow regularly. Zone (450 sq miles of mangrove). I liked ham and limas. From Sylmar, CA. My father was in the Korean War and war in Vietnam, near the end of his 20 year military service in the US Army. U.S. Army photo C rations boxes contained three meals for each of eight men. I cannot tell you how happy I am to have stumbled across your post! Interesting article but a really dumb question? Hats off to all of you guys! Ahh, comfort food in the middle of the jungle. It was illustrated by Fred Rhoads. They were pretty good .Carried a container of onion salt , and garlic salt for the C rations . It would explain a lot of the stupid decisions Ive made over the years. Might you, or anyone else have an idea?