Nam era "C" rat's

[straightshooter1]

I liked the Vietnamese food, and still do. From time to time, a Vietnamese person will bring me something.

The C rats, well..., I guess most were "OK" but not the eggs and ham. They just turned my little (at that time) tummy.

I never could remember which it was that stopped up the diarrhea-the cheese or the peanut butter. So I always tried to eat both and hoped for the best.

No, the little roll of TP was never enough for me.

I left there in November, 1968 and really don't remember the stick in the C rats.

I had some C rats a few years ago that were, IIRC, mid-70s in preparation for Y2K. No smokes, and the foods were a little bit different. Bought them at a gun show just for kicks, let 'em sit around a couple of years, then ate them just to see if my memory as to the taste was accurate. (We didn't need them for Y2K ).

Pound cake was way too dry for me, but it could easily be traded back in the day and I, for some strange reason, always liked the ham and, uhhhh, lima beans.

All the fruit was good, but the only ones I can recall today was peaches (my favorite) and the fruit cocktail. Not sure if there were others or not. This getting old is getting old.

Bob

 

[Jinglebob]

They were all bad, even by my low standards.

 

[1sg]

Tuna was the Best! Just like regular tuna back in the World except for the occasional speck of OD paint that would mix with the tuna as the P38 cut through the can.

I remember John Wayne bars; some of the best trading material

 

[vonn]

When humpin I picked by weight . Ate a lot of cheese ,crackers,peanut butter,and jelly. Ate all the fruit I could get as fast as I got it. The coco and coffee got all my cream and sugar,mix em all together bring to a boil with C4 in about a half canteen cup of water ,not bad . Almost forgot the SP packs, full of lotsa good stuff!

 

[amazingflapjack]

`Some of the guys that got LRRP rations actually preferred them to mess hall chow, which, now that I think about it, really isn't a big surprise! Unless it was Air force Chow!!!

 

[Kinman]

I remember eating out of a can alot, they would come down to our docks and throw a case onto the deck every day. I remember once running down and having my Kbar drawn ready to break the wire band, my buddy was standing across from me bent over with his knife at the ready...we looked at each and growled, then laughed. I cut the band and grabbed the Spagetti and Meatballs, as I remember it was the only one you could eat either hot or cold. Heating them was a luxury, we were most of the time too hungry to wait to get them heated...and we had a galley onboard, just no regular cook. My favorite treat was the Date Loaf with Applesauce. We had access to some special stuff like large cans of Peanut Butter, they were Army issue in green C-rat type cans. I remember saving the cheese cans until I had at least six, then opening them looking for the white cheese with caraway seeds...that was a rare treat and about 1 in 6. When your hungry anything is good and we got hungry quite a bit while on trips up and down the coast. Beans and Franks was a close second to S&M, Steak and Potatoes sucked unless it was hot, Spiced Beef was pretty good heated up and tolerable cold, as well as the Turkey Loaf stuff. The thing many people never heard of or were ever aware that even existed was the special goodie box that was in the middle of a pallet of C-Rats, I can't remember for sure what it was called but it was something like B-40, not the rocket but the box. Inside the box was cigars, chewing tobacco, gum, candy, cigs all kinds of neat hard to get stuff, especially the chewing tobacco. They were nearly always robbed from the case by whoever was doing the transportation, which we did from time to time...they were worth a pretty penny on the black market.
We had a lunch truck that actually came around the pier from time to time that you could get a hot meal off of, it was better than the C-rats but not by much, back at the base they had a fried chicken place with burgers but it wasn't free, like the food they sold down at China Beach. The Vietnamese food was usually good, you just didn't ask what it was. I even developed a taste for Nuck Mam, just a drop or two made the whole bowl of rice taste like fish. I wouldn't eat them wormy eels on a bet, but most of the stuff was pretty good. I ate dog one night in a fancy cathouse off limits downtown DaNang, I told the Mama-San that was grilling it over a hibatchi that it was Number One chicken, she looked at me like I was a moron and said "That not chicken, that Dog." I'll never forget how great it smelled while grilling, had an indescribable aroma like a pork roast only sweeter. I know why its considered a delicousy, its real good.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

Around 1970, my dad purchased some c-rations for us kids to try for a few days since we heard him talking about them during the Korean War (he stayed in the U.S. with the Long John missiles), I am thankful that I only had them for a few days instead of a few years. I recall them being barely edible. I know that I had the eggs, I do not remember the others. Mom went out to eat. Thanks to all for your service (and the sacrifice of your taste buds)!

 

[bgrafsr]

For the longest time I bought "poppy seed" bread from mama san. I found out later that it wasn't poppy seed but was all the bugs in the flour. I guess what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. It took me a long time to live that down.

We had bread baked on base with our meals. There were black specks in each slice. Bugs. We ate it and didn't worry about it, as the baking process cooked the bugs . Gave us more protein.

 

[STCM(SW)]

"Of course, that was in the airedale navy, which may have been better than blackshoe. I have heard rumors that some of the submarine service chow was even better."

Brown shoe Navy with how many chow halls? And always open.
Not like that on a Tin Can for sure......
It seemed like every night either re-arming, refueling and/or supply's.
Yea, sub guys got steak, lobster and other good stuff, just tight quarters.

 

[halvenut]

I pretty much liked everything but the Ham and Lima beans. I've never cared for Lima beans. I liked getting the John Wayne bars and the smokes with chichlets. Sometimes you would even get the little boxes of Marlboros. I also liked the other treats that you'd get in the box. If we were lucky we could get them warm.

 

[litenlarry]

anyone else ever had lurrp rations? almost edible.

Not sure what they were called, but they were dehydrated and came in a foil pack..Before going out on a recon patrol, we would open the pack add water, "mush" it up and reseal with green duct tape..In about 4 to 5 days you could eat it without having to heat the water, which was a no-no..
The types I remember, Chili, Pork and scalloped potatoes and Spaghetti..Loved all of them, but I cracked a tooth on a bean in the chili..If you had time to heat the water, using a chunk of C4, they were really tasty..
Oral stimulator, for the wood, sounds like a term for a toothbrush of sorts..
Here is a pic of my trusty P38 (can opener)

 

[LoboGunLeather]

In some of the newer C rat's, Nam era , there was a piece of wood, very small, like a portion of a popsicle stick...
Know what is was to be used for...?

I'll post later if no responses... ( a bit of a teaser)

Used to clean your teeth after eating.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

Most of my time in Vietnam (two tours) I was a team leader or detachment NCOIC. When drawing rations prior to a patrol, or when receiving resupply in the bush, I remember a couple of things:

1. Steel packing bands on the C-ration cases. Best tool for breaking the band was the old 3-prong flash suppressor of the original M16 rifles (prior to the M16A1 with bird cage suppressor). Unfortunately, this resulted in breaking the flash suppressors with some frequency, so was to be avoided.

2. Always best to have everybody present when dividing up the individual C-ration meals. Each guy picks one in turn until everything is gone. Otherwise one or two guys got stuck with all the **** nobody else wanted (ham & lima beans, also known as "ham & claymores").

3. We went through each individual box, took out what we wanted, and whatever was left was up for grabs before it was dumped. I never knew anyone who wanted the canned fruitcake. Haven't seen white bread in a can anywhere before or since.

4. The little 4-packs of cigarettes were all used up, even though everyone complained about the selection. Marlboros and Kools went first; Lucky Strikes and Chesterfields remained a last resort, but they all got smoked.

Fortunately, my family kept me pretty well supplied with supplemental rations. The little canned Danish hams were great. Hard salami or summer sausage was always nice to have. Beef jerky. Vienna sausages. And, of course, dozens of packets of Kool-Aid drink mix (to hide the taste of the water and purification tablets, one pack does two quart canteens). My mother's peanut butter cookies were a unit favorite, shipped in metal cracker tins padded with paper towels, usually arrived ground down to dust that could be eaten by the handful.

A side note that a lot of people don't seem to be aware of: The McIlheny Company sent thousands and thousands of tiny bottles of Tabasco sauce for the troops in Vietnam, free of charge. Some of the C-rations were hardly edible without a shot or two of Tabasco.

 

[litenlarry]

Most of my time in Vietnam (two tours) I was a team leader or detachment NCOIC. When drawing rations prior to a patrol, or when receiving resupply in the bush, I remember a couple of things:

1. Steel packing bands on the C-ration cases. Best tool for breaking the band was the old 3-prong flash suppressor of the original M16 rifles (prior to the M16A1 with bird cage suppressor). Unfortunately, this resulted in breaking the flash suppressors with some frequency, so was to be avoided.

2. Always best to have everybody present when dividing up the individual C-ration meals. Each guy picks one in turn until everything is gone. Otherwise one or two guys got stuck with all the **** nobody else wanted (ham & lima beans, also known as "ham & claymores").

3. We went through each individual box, took out what we wanted, and whatever was left was up for grabs before it was dumped. I never knew anyone who wanted the canned fruitcake. Haven't seen white bread in a can anywhere before or since.

4. The little 4-packs of cigarettes were all used up, even though everyone complained about the selection. Marlboros and Kools went first; Lucky Strikes and Chesterfields remained a last resort, but they all got smoked.

Fortunately, my family kept me pretty well supplied with supplemental rations. The little canned Danish hams were great. Hard salami or summer sausage was always nice to have. Beef jerky. Vienna sausages. And, of course, dozens of packets of Kool-Aid drink mix (to hide the taste of the water and purification tablets, one pack does two quart canteens). My mother's peanut butter cookies were a unit favorite, shipped in metal cracker tins padded with paper towels, usually arrived ground down to dust that could be eaten by the handful.

A side note that a lot of people don't seem to be aware of: The McIlheny Company sent thousands and thousands of tiny bottles of Tabasco sauce for the troops in Vietnam, free of charge. Some of the C-rations were hardly edible without a shot or two of Tabasco.

Unfortunately the Tabasco did not come in a case of C rats, they only came in a SP pack along with Red Man chewing tobacco and other goodies..
I had a "bud" in the rear that would throw on a bag of rice, bag of potatoes and a bag of onions, on the resupply chopper..I have always loved raw potatoes, some of the fellow Marines ( mainly east coast ) thought I was crazy for eating them raw..
It didn't take long to convert them to raw "spuds's", slice of onion with salt and pepper, dash of tabasco..
I wonder if they eat them that way now ?
Yeah the 3 prong flash suppressor was used to open the wire..Never saw one break, but if turning the wrong way, the suppressor would loosen..

 

[Brian41]

What I hated most was the fuel tab stoves that hardly heated. C-rats were the worst cold. I had a Swiss back packing stove I filled with JP-4 to heat them with. I always had a line of guys to use it afterwards as the fuel tab stoves were frustrating.
I was odd man out as I could tolerate the eggs with hot sauce and there were always some left if I was late to the party.
I had a couple boxes of C-rats still in my shed but finally pitched them last year as they were rusted pretty bad. Didn't even think they might have collector value.

 

[Onomea]

Whale, and with apologies for being pedantic, "penultimate" means "second to last." It means, at the very end of whatever list, the one right before the very last listed.

Just sayin'.

 

[Jessie]

I'm more fortunate than most of you. I have succeeded in forgetting what was good or bad as far as C rats go.
I guess it's true that your mind will block out bad memories in time.

 

[Jessie]

In some of the newer C rat's, Nam era , there was a piece of wood, very small, like a portion of a popsicle stick...
Know what is was to be used for...?

I'll post later if no responses... ( a bit of a teaser)

It was used to poke your eyes out so you couldn't see what you were eating.

 

[BearBio]

I'm more fortunate than most of you. I have succeeded in forgetting what was good or bad as far as C rats go.
I guess it's true that your mind will block out bad memories in time.

Me, too. The only thing I remember was working as an aggressor at the SEE School and I got the spaghetti & meatballs. We had a big pot of soup going (the rabbit & chicken we killed, veggies from the garden, etc.). As a "boot" I didn't get any but they let me heat my can in the pot of soup.

 

[EQGuy]

I didn't serve in Vietnam but I did eat my share of C-rats. I liked Ham and Lima Beans and the Fruitcake and I also did not smoke so I did all right. I preferred C-rats to most mess hall chow. I think that most of the good food walked out the back door in the cooks cars. Many times I saw cooks leaving the back door with grocery bags full of food. The only duty station I had that served decent chow was at West Point. The only time I ate beef steak was there. It was tough but it was steak. In February 1969 we were in the field camped along the Tanana River near Eielson AFB Alaska and they heated the C-rats in 50 gallon galvanized garbage cans using immersion heaters. The next morning the garbage can of water was frozen solid but all you had to do was fire up the heater and soon you would have boiling water. Such was life in the construction engineers. It was mighty cold but no one was shooting at us.