It's okay, what's one meal...

[vraiblonde]

When I was a youngster my grandfather used to bring my cousins and me C-rats. We thought that was a huge treat.

[Vince]

MRE's are great. I like them. The old ones that I had even had a 5 pack of cigarettes in them. K-rations. But Congress shouldn't get a pay raise when they're getting ready to give the rest of us a furlough. 25% pay decrease with one work day less per week. Why isn't Congress getting a paycut?

[bcp (Premo)]

I have eaten more than my share of them when I was in the navy. Nothing like sitting somewhere in the early 1980s and before opening that green bag of food, noticing the packing date was 1945....
And the really interesting part was,, they really were not that bad, even the sponge cakes were still spongy, the matches still lit and the cig still smoked..
I dont remember a 5 pack of smokes though, I really think it was only one.

[Merlin99 (Premo)]

Originally Posted by twinoaks207

Okay. Initial reseach has turned up these two websites. Military folk (current) will probably be more familiar with terms used on the first site than I was.

Looks like the original letter clipping is a mixture of truth (see Snopes)

Dwindling budget forces changes to mess halls - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

snopes.com: Soldiers Going Hungry

Personally, I'm not happy with our folks in Afghanistan getting MRE's instead of a hot breakfast if they're stationary and not on the move. Then again, I don't make those kinds of decisions. I can only communicate my views to those who do.

Try buying MRE's sometime, ham and eggs are considerably cheaper.

[MMDad]

Originally Posted by bcp

I have eaten more than my share of them when I was in the navy. Nothing like sitting somewhere in the early 1980s and before opening that green bag of food, noticing the packing date was 1945....
And the really interesting part was,, they really were not that bad, even the sponge cakes were still spongy, the matches still lit and the cig still smoked..
I dont remember a 5 pack of smokes though, I really think it was only one.

Those weren't MRE's. They were C-rats or K-rats.

[Bay_Kat (Premo)]

Originally Posted by MMDad

Those weren't MRE's. They were C-rats or K-rats.

My dad told me once that part of their C-rats was a big bar of unsweetened chocolate, for the energy. He never mentioned smokes though.

[Inkd]

Originally Posted by Baja28

Friend of mine posted this on FB a couple weeks ago and I called then. As effed up as our govt. is, they won't let our soldiers go hungry.

It's not B.S. friends of mine at FOB Sharana are eating MRE's right now.

They were told it wasn't because of the budget though, that FOB is scheduled to be closed.

[stgislander]

On ship in the early 80's, C-rations were popular for mid-rats. Especially when there weren't leftovers from the evening meal. They sure beat bologna sandwiches. I do remember one version had a canned pork product that was pretty nasty. Franks and beans seemed to be everyone's favorite.

[twinoaks207 (Premo)]

Originally Posted by bcp

I have eaten more than my share of them when I was in the navy. Nothing like sitting somewhere in the early 1980s and before opening that green bag of food, noticing the packing date was 1945....
And the really interesting part was,, they really were not that bad, even the sponge cakes were still spongy, the matches still lit and the cig still smoked..
I dont remember a 5 pack of smokes though, I really think it was only one.

My Dad was drafted during the Korean War. He never smoked until he went into the Army & they gave him cigarettes in the rations. He died from complications of lung cancer. Thank you US Army and the great minds who thought that cigarettes were a necessity for every soldier.

[ylexot]

Originally Posted by Merlin99

Try buying MRE's sometime, ham and eggs are considerably cheaper.

That's what I was thinking. Maybe they are using this as an opportunity to get rid of some that are about to expire?