Research Project need help

[MRD]

I am giving a talk to 1000 HS students on the history of military rations. I have a lot of the actual research done, but am now looking for personal stories about military rations.

If you, or someone you know would like to share your thoughts, recipes (yes, soldiers get very creative in the field with the old "C" rations and the MRE's), and stories (they can be from your parents, siblings, etc. doesn't have to be you) I would very much appreciate it.

I have gotten some stories from a Navy cook, an air force pilot, my own husband, etc. And a rather intriguing recipe for Air Force Frappiccino.

Mods, if this is not appropriate, please let me know.

Thanks all.

ETA: if you don't wish to share it here, PM me and I will give you my email address.

[CantGetNuf]

I still say Snapples stole my idea. We were out in the field and had served breakfast. We had the giant thermoses set up with oj and grape juice. We made tea for lunch. Apparently we had missed cleaning the thermos on the end and combinded grape juice and tea. It was delicious. So I'm thinking we have just come up with a revolutionary new drink. Next thing I know I start seeing commercials for snapples. Uh! Those sob's stole my idea. LOL

Edited to add that it was still dark by the time we finished breakfast and were cleaning out the thermoses. Just so you understand how we missed cleaning it.

[famita]

My son talked a lot about the MRE's. A few of his friends in a different arm of the services would gather up as many MRE's as they could get their hands on and have an MRE party for him when he came home to visit. There were a few of the dessert portions that he really enjoyed and he always said that if you were hungry enough, they tasted as good as a juicy steak. He said he always preferred my meatloaf to the MRE. I tried a taste and I found them to be bland. I guess I could eat them if I had to. The crackers were always real hard. The boys used them as footballs while eating at a table. They didn't break too easily. I remember playing the football game back in school and you sit across from someone else and you both take turns trying to "flick" your "football" (we used a piece of paper folded many times to get a triangular shape) into the opposing person's "field goal" (your index fingers held up like field goalposts. I found I hadn't lost my knack for field goal using the crackers that you couldn't eat.

[queenb]

MRD, my uncle is a WWII vet, but still sharp as a tack. I'll email and see if he might have anything interesting to tell.

[Missyboxers]

I don't have any stories to share, as both of my grandparents who served have passed away, but MRD, I hope you will post your speech on your blog when you're done!

[PGM35]

I'll ask M to retell some of his stories to me and I'll post! I do remember laughing at the instructions on the cover for the heating element. "Lean against a rock or something". Also, DO NOT EAT THIS. As if they would be that hungry or dumb to eat the heating element. Also, tried the crackers once as well as the pound cake in one of them. VERY HEAVY. Not sure how many calories is in an MRE but I know it's a lot.

[MRD]

Thanks guys.
What I've been hearing is "they aren't supposed to taste great, they're supposed to give you the nutrition and calories you need". Now that's a selling point isn't it?


My husband said that when at Ft. Bragg, wild onions grew on base and they would gather those up and add to their C rations (this was before MRE's) to make them taste a bit better. And he said someone ALWAYS carried some tabasco sauce into the field when they had to do field maneuvers. He said that some of their "C" rations in the early 1980's were left over from Korea!!! Can you imagine?

Thanks all.

Well I did find out why they put DO NOT EAT on the heating element. I dont' know if it's still used today, but they used to use Sterno to heat field rations. Sterno is "solidified alcohol" and the soldiers would put it in a piece of cloth and squeeze it as tight as they could to get the alcohol out of it and drink it. It's apparantly a very effective but nasty buzz.

[Ellen]

. . . "they aren't supposed to taste great, they're supposed to give you the nutrition and calories you need". . .

Sort of like MacDonalds, et. al. -- oh, wait -- McD, et. al., don't even have the nutrition . . .

Best of luck with your project!

[snickertink]

My hubby served in Panama, he said in the states they would all get the MRE with an occasional CRat thrown in, most of the time they would sneak ramen in their packs, they were light and easy. make up the ramen, dump the MRE in, mix and eat. blech

[MRD]

Snickertink, my husband spent some time in Panama. When he was in Jungle School, graduation was being dropped in the jungle for 3 days with a knife, map and compass and you had to find your way out and find your own food. He mentioned eating monkey brains in Panama. I think I'd go with the C-rats or MRE's, my self.

He also said that they used pieces of C-4 explosive to heat their meals occasionally.
He said you can light it and it won't explode, but don't stomp on it to put it out.
I can't even begin to imagine some of the things he's told me. I would never have made it in the military.