How about eats?

[<RonaldS842@aol.com>]

   The troops in Korea were fed two hot meals a day whenever it was 
tactically possible. Three hot meals was desirable but a minimum of two, 
normally breakfast and supper. It was a terrific morale builder among the 
forward elements. Powdered eggs and powdered milk!
   The C ration was the most acceptable field ration. Everyone liked it. The 
relative acceptance ratings of the meat items were (1) beans and frankfurters 
(2) beans with pork (3) meat and beans (4) ham and lima beans (5) spaghetti 
and meat (6) hamburger and gravy (7) pork sausage patties with gravery (8) 
meat and noodles (9) chicken and vegetables (10) beef stew (11) corned beef 
hash.
   This was a combat ration and one of its characteristics was its capability 
of being consumed hot or cold. The reaction of the men was that the only 
items acceptable cold were the bean items. The principal complaints were 
against the meat and spaghetti and the meat and noodle combinations. Both 
items were too dry and when heated they would burn. The hamburgers and the 
sausages had too much fat and too much gravery. In the C-4 and the C-6 
(previous Army combat rations) there was  a chicken and vegetables 
combination which the men disliked.
   When asked about individual combat rations the answer  was "where is the 
spoon in the C-6? The men carried nothing, soldiers are stripped down-no 
packs-just the clothes they wear. Men would lose eating utensils At first the 
C rations came without spoons and men were eating beans with their fingers. 
One Marine Col. cut his fingers trying to make a spoon from the lid of a can. 
Plastic spoons are a must. 
   At first a can opener was included in each accessory pack. Every soldier 
had a can opener in his pocket or on his dogtag chain. He was afraid he would 
not have a can opener when he wanted to eat, If he had a can opener and got 
hold of another he saved it. A prize example is a colonel who had one can 
opener on his dogtag chain and nine in his pack. 
   How about a chance of keeping clean, I'll comment on that next.

Ron