Letters To The Editor

C-Rations Story Sparks Memories

To read the story referenced, “9 Unforgettable Survival Lessons From The Army’s C-Rations,” click here.

Enjoyed reading that. Brought back a lot of memories. My old favorite was the Dead Duke Discs (John Wayne bars), and the rolled turkey with a can of cranberry sauce. But there were some really bad ones back in the day, too. Pork slices, as well as the beef slices … those were barely edible. I know that most of us in the 82nd appreciated the MREs for their better taste and lighter weight … but it took a little while for them to get the packaging right. I remember the first couple of jumps we had some exploded packs in our packs from impact. Oh, and yep, to this very day I still have a P-38 on my keychain

“Airborne Falcon”

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I was aboard a ship for four and a half years on an LPD [landing platform dock]! Only once was the weather too rough to prepare chow. They handed out the boxes of C-rats. This was almost 40 years ago! The mess deck tables had raised edges to keep trays from flying off during the pitch and rolling from the waves! If you were on watch at midnight, there were mid-rats, or midnight rations, usually sandwiches of some type with bug juice! They would bring them up to the bridge and combat to us!

John