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Vietnam C Ration "sock"


RichiesRelics
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RichiesRelics

This item is one of my favorite things in my collection. This is a very rare Vietnam War c ration sock. To my knowledge these were used primarily by special forces personnel to carry c rations so that they did not take up room in the rucksack. Soldiers used regular issue socks to do this as well but this is something that was specially made to carry c ration cans. I have only seen one other like this.

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439th Signal Battalion

C-Ration sock special made? Never heard of a special sock being produced for just this purpose. Do you have any data or period information for such an item? I always thought they were just regular GI socks, improvised...

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That is different. Always assumed they were standard issue socks when I saw the photos. But as you can see from the first photo, there does not look to be the reinforcement or angle for the heel and top of the foot. Interesting.

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RichiesRelics

I don't have much info on it, they might have all been made in country. I've heard about them using socks before, but this one appears specially made just so that it can hold c rations. Even the end is sown so that it just the size of a standard c ration can.

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RichiesRelics

That is different.  Always assumed they were standard issue socks when I saw the photos.  But as you can see from the first photo, there does not look to be the reinforcement or angle for the heel and top of the foot.  Interesting.

Yeah, you make a good point that it doesn't have any bend for the heel. When I first got it I thought that it was a standard issue sock, but after looking at it, it looks like it was specially made so that it could fit c ration cans.

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I know Vietnam Vets used regular US Military issued socks to carry C ration or anything that would make any noices in the field when they were on the move.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sounds kind of far fetched. Out in the camps we were were not issued chow and were expected to supply our own. We got paid for that. We usually had Indigenous PIRs which came in pouches.

Sometimes scrounged LRRPS or other things . Pouches as well. Rarely if ever had Cs.

Mike Force guys and projects about the same.

The cans were heavy and we usually justate on the fly.

People got to remind themselves that over 3 million GIs passed through VN in over 10 years.

Things changed immensly, year to year, week to week.

There will never be a one size fits all subject.

Why do you suppose SF would be any more likely than anyone else to use something like this?

Generalising these things doesn't make a lot of sense.

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RichiesRelics

SFMike, thanks for the info.

 

I bought this from a very advanced special forces collector. Because these are rare and I cannot find any other information on them I am only passing on what info he told me. He said that SF guys used these to keep the rations out of their rucksacks so that they could carry more. I cannot back this up because the only photographic proof that I have of one being used is shown above, being used by an army soldier.

 

I have only found one other one of these and it was full of LRRP rations. I think that it was actually on this forum, I'll have to see if I can find the link.

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To add more confusion or clarity to this discussion.

 

I think you might be talking about the SF issue Early VN era experimental "Sock rations", these were similar to LRRP rations. They came in a sock-like tube (same material) with about 6 rations per.

 

I had 2 cases of these years ago, in plastic "cache" waterproof boxes.

 

This is what I have left, 1 ration, 1 "sock" and about 5 empty ration wrappers

post-2368-0-13813200-1424013573.jpg

 

 

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  • 8 years later...

 

On 2/15/2015 at 10:22 AM, MattD said:

To add more confusion or clarity to this discussion.

 

I think you might be talking about the SF issue Early VN era experimental "Sock rations", these were similar to LRRP rations. They came in a sock-like tube (same material) with about 6 rations per.

 

 

Never knew about these. Thanks for sharing. 

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