Re: The Survivability of C-Rats

[James Dennis <jrdennis@earthlink.net>]

>At 11:22 PM 8/1/2000 EDT, CavKVet50@aol.com wrote:
>>LOL - I was with an active Army Reserve unit in 1965, still eating those 
>>great-tasting B & M beans canned in Portland, Maine. Still packed a powerful 
>>punch! C-rations were on there way out then and the remaining stores were 
>>foisted off on reservists. 
>
>C-Rats survived until 1982 before being replaced by MRE's.  The Active Army
>certainly had them:  I ate more than my share in the 1970's when I was on
>active duty.  We had WWII dated C-Rats when I was in ROTC Camp at IGMR in
>'71, Korean-War era C-Rats when I was in my OBC at APG in '74, and
>Vietnam-era C-Rats thereafter.  I never saw any C-Rats made after 1972 or
>though.
>
>Marc
>
>msmall@roanoke.infi.net  FAX:  +540/343-7315
>Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!
>
>
I think a lot of people are confusing what a "C-Ration" really is.  

In Military Terminology, an "A Ration" is one with fresh vegetables, 
fresh meat, fresh milk and so on, served in a dining facility/messhall 
etc.   This stuff needs refrigeration

A "B Ration" is one that is from a can, or is preserved some way.  some 
of us remember canned bacon, steaks in cans (just add water) and so on.  
These are generally served in the field mess facility.    No 
refrigeration required.

"C-Rations, D-Rations, Iron Rations, K-Rations and so on, were given to 
the troops for them to fix.   The "C-Ration from World War II fame (and 
still around from Korea) was a single can, everything was in it, 
including several small cans.    The K/Iron/D rations came in a "cracker 
jack box".  

The Meals Combat Individual (MCI) came out at the start of the Kennedy 
Administration (they had been developed but they were waiting for the 
WWII stocks to go down).   This was the "C-Ration" for the folks in Viet 
Nam and what a lot of us remember up to 1982/83.  

The Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) has been through several variations as has 
the infamous "T-Rations".  

I guess we are going to have to go to the Quartermaster Corps website and 
see if they have something on C-Rations.  

The QMC did publish a book (probably with other of the Branches) on what 
all they went through to get good food to the combat troops in Korea.  In 
fact because of the abuses that we saw in WWII, the QMC made it a point 
to give the combat troops the stuff first (as opposed to finding some QMC 
guy killing him and stealing from the body).  The further from the front 
you were the worse you ate or were dressed.
 
There is a chapter on how they took powdered milk (which was a big 
complaint in Europe and the Pacific).  The QMC made a big mixer and they 
added butter and other things until the "milk" tasted like real milk. 

There is also an interesting chapter on how the QMC developed a 
"C-Ration" that appealed to the Korean Soldier.  But as the S. Korean 
Army (higher staff) was more concerned in stealing than serving the 
soldiers, the ROKs would have probably eaten anything.  

Bob Dennis