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Rations Question -
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Member Posts: 168,427 ✭
What were you troops issued in the field for rations in VN?
Were these the same as the WWII rations?
And what did you guys think of them?
I have eaten MRE's (I was not in the service, but I have had them when in deer camp), and I thought they were OK. Can you compare them to a MRE?
Thanks in advance for the replies, and thank you for your service.
Were these the same as the WWII rations?
And what did you guys think of them?
I have eaten MRE's (I was not in the service, but I have had them when in deer camp), and I thought they were OK. Can you compare them to a MRE?
Thanks in advance for the replies, and thank you for your service.
Comments
12 meals to a case, different from one another but identical from case to case. Some were okay, most were edible but a couple were not (Ham and Lima Beans comes to mind).
Once we had an area secured they would chopper in a hot meal (Mermite Cans) for the dinner meal but breakfast, lunch and about half the dinners were C-rats when we were in the field.
W.D.
196th lt inf bde..66-67..agree on the ham and limas..one that I do recall as etable was boned chicken..everyone else hated it so I could always count on getting that..small piece of c4 for heat and it wasn't too bad
199th LIB, 68-69. What he said. They were just starting to see some LRP rats. If you could get them they were a nice change, but only about 900 calories per meal!
I use to trade the fruit cocktail for peaches or pears, two to one!
The eggs and lima beans were the ones I too could not stomach!!![;)]
When I went back in 71 I was a Huey crewcheif and I was able to eat MOST of my meals in the rear, BUT OUR MESS HALL SUCKED! So we would scrounge C's and LRP's to eat even in the rear!!![:(]
Which grunt Battalion were you working with?
You don't see many "REDCATCHERS" any more!
I have been to the web site occasionally. I guess I need to go there more often.
I was a member of the 71st AHC my second tour. They have an association and a very good website and a reunion every two years. I have missed the last several and many of those I wanted to reconnect with have passed. I will make the one in 2010 come hell or high water!!
When I could, I'd beg off and eat LRRPs in my hootch. Honest.
Later, I worked out of a civilian airfield near the Cambodian border. Almost all our chow hall food was bought locally. We had monkey noodle soup several times a week, water buffalo, dog, lots of rice with fish heads, and such. I gained 20 pounds on it! I'll NEVER forget the peppers the Montagnards ate! If you bit them in half, they'd raise big blisters on your lips. Wow! I could manage two a meal. Grin!
Sky Soldier, I worked with the 173rd Airborne Brigade at LZ English in 1972. But I had to eat supper with the one-star and his staff. Martini hour followed by the formal mess: white linen, waiters with towels on their arms, formal toasts, lots of lah-de-da. We Air Force pilot types were tolerated and formally invited, but we could tell we didn't belong with all those West Pointers.
Hey Rocky Raab.
When I was there in '66-'67 we were in Bien Hoa and everything was tents in the base camp. I doubt I spent more than 30 days in the base camp during the year I was there. I was an RTO in the FO section of an artillary battery and spent most of my time in the jungle with the 503rd Infantry.
I did a couple of stints as an AO out of Bien Hoa air base in a Cessna "Mixmaster" (USAF I think, but it might have been Army). Those were the only times I landed in the aircraft that I left Bien Hoa aboard.
If it's any consolation, I wouldn't have been comfortable with the West Pointers either.
SS
Crisp salute, my brother!
The Mixmasters were all Air Force. That's what I flew.
Crisp salute, my brother!
Back atcha.
Well, I was lucky in Vietnam (1969)to serve in our army combat mechanized battalion headquarters S-2 section, in a basecamp about 40 miles SE of Saigon. C-Rations were availiable, but we had a decent messhall to eat in. Lol, first time I ever ate lobster was in our messhall. However, we did have available what we called LRPs, which meant Long Range Patrol rations. We kept about 8 cases of it in our S-2 command APC if we had to go out in the field. It was dehydrated food and there were about 5 varieties of it. Add boiling water, stir, let set for about 5 minutes and then eat. Actually, we thought LRPs were pretty tasty. We kept a case in our sleeping quarters for a late night snack. We burned C-4 plastic explosive and an improvised stove to boil the water. The chilli and beans was the least liked as I remember it. Seems the beans never did soften enought, almost break a tooth on them.
Was that the 11th ACR at Blackhorse???
Jim Rau, My Vietnam battalion was the 2/47th Mech Inf Bn, 3rd Brigade, 9th Divison. Equipped with APCs, I think we were the only Mech combat unit in the Delta. Our base camp was at Bien Phouc and brigade headquarters was about 20 miles away at Tan An.
I was not paying attention. You did say SE, not north. Sorry.
Check the M-14 thread, I am not through asking you questions!!![;)]
quote:Originally posted by Rocky Raab
Sky Soldier, I worked with the 173rd Airborne Brigade at LZ English in 1972. But I had to eat supper with the one-star and his staff. Martini hour followed by the formal mess: white linen, waiters with towels on their arms, formal toasts, lots of lah-de-da. We Air Force pilot types were tolerated and formally invited, but we could tell we didn't belong with all those West Pointers.
Hey Rocky Raab.
When I was there in '66-'67 we were in Bien Hoa and everything was tents in the base camp. I doubt I spent more than 30 days in the base camp during the year I was there. I was an RTO in the FO section of an artillary battery and spent most of my time in the jungle with the 503rd Infantry.
I did a couple of stints as an AO out of Bien Hoa air base in a Cessna "Mixmaster" (USAF I think, but it might have been Army). Those were the only times I landed in the aircraft that I left Bien Hoa aboard.
If it's any consolation, I wouldn't have been comfortable with the West Pointers either.
SS
I was at Bien Hoa Aug 66 - Aug 67 in the 42d Ord Det (EOD). Were were located near` the perimeter between the 173d Engineers and the Scout Dog Platoon.
Regards,
Tom D
I was with 3rd Brigade at Tan An, set up the Combat Photo team there. In August of 69 I rode with the 2/47 on some ops for photos. 113s in the delta was a tough job.
I also spent 9 months with the 4/47th Mobile Riverine Force. We are lucky there meal wise becaus when we were aboard ship the Navy cooked 2/3rds of the meals. When we were in the field it was C Rat all the way. I lived on spaghetti & Meatballs, pound cake and fruit cocktail, peanut butter, and coconut candy bars. Sometimes i could catch a village chicken and flash cook it in a C-Rat can with C-4 for some fresh meat.
Eagle
Later, when TDY to a riverine unit we ate C rats all the time. These were newer units. No cigarettes. All I remember of the food are the B-1 and B-2 dessert units, the fruit salad, and -- my favorite -- the peaches. Never saw the LRRP meals, precurser of today's MREs.
So, to answer youer question, there was a big difference between the WWII and Vietnam-era meals. Can't recall much about them, because our minds were not on our food.