Vietnam c ration question

[LE LOUP DES MERS]

I bought some Vietnam era c rations not to long ago and had a question about them. During Vietnam, how did soldier pack the c rations in their lightweight rucksacks? Did they pack the whole box or did they just take the cans out and pack the cans? If your able to provide pictures or explain how is was done that would be great. 

[doyler]

many broke then down as they would carry more than one typically at a time depending on the operation they went on. You will also see grunts caring a tube or sock with the ration cans placed in the sock and tied to the side of the ruck.

 

Again things would vary depending on situation. Take a Special Forces Bright Light Team. They may not take in any food as they were going into recue or pull out a Recon Tean who were in trouble or go in after a downed Aircraft or recovery of bodies etc. They didnt plan on being there typically for an extended period of time. The essential broke down to Water,Ammo and body bogs and more Ammo. 

[pararaftanr2]

39 minutes ago, LE LOUP DES MERS said:

I bought some Vietnam era c rations not to long ago and had a question about them. During Vietnam, how did soldier pack the c rations in their lightweight rucksacks? Did they pack the whole box or did they just take the cans out and pack the cans? If your able to provide pictures or explain how is was done that would be great. 

Check this Forum thread from 2015 for more information and some photos: https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/231501-vietnam-c-ration-sock/

[LE LOUP DES MERS]

33 minutes ago, pararaftanr2 said:

Check this Forum thread from 2015 for more information and some photos: https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/231501-vietnam-c-ration-sock/

That's interesting thanks for sharing, but what about regular infantry? Did they just use socks to store cans or actually pack a whole box?

[gomorgan]

Most all used socks, you needed them anyway and the cans in a sock where a little less noisy.

[LE LOUP DES MERS]

33 minutes ago, gomorgan said:

Most all used socks, you needed them anyway and the cans in a sock where a little less noisy.

Yeah that makes since

[gomorgan]

That might be the only thing that makes sense from this time and war.  A lot of how you carried items depended on the unit type and how you got resupplied while in the field.

[Cobra 6 Actual]

First off, each Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) weighed approximately 2.7 pounds and contained about 1200 calories. (We called them C-rations, but actual C-Rations were discontinued in 1958). I would 'strip' the rations out of their boxes and only keep the stuff I liked or needed. Since I didn't smoke the cigarettes that came with the C-Rations, I would trade them for cigars, which I did smoke.

 

I also used the C-Ration box flaps as ‘postcards’ to mail to my wife. As noted earlier, each ‘Meal, Combat, Individual’ weighed 2.7 pounds, so X 3 meals a day = meals for even just 2 days amounted to 16.2 pounds. Anything we could do to cut the weight, believe me, we did.

[pwcosol]

During my three year tour in the USMC (1971-74) my unit went on maneuvers numerous times. When I was stationed in GTMO for six months, took part in a one week excursion which was coordinated with Marine units attached to a six month "Caribbean Cruise". Most fun was when we embarked from the bay in a Mike boat and landed in a stinking mangrove swamp! Though there were aircraft overhead, artillery simulators going off, and mock insurgents tossing CS canisters, neither bullets nor shrapnel was flying about (thank God!). Whenever in the field our rations emanated from vat cans supplied from the rear or boxes of Cs offloaded, broken out, and we selected/traded for our favorite fare. Of course, I was in a artillery (FDC) HQ unit and my group was there to call in fire missions. I realize to those whom served in actual combat situations my experiences almost seem farcical, but so it was...