Especially for veterans, down memory lane..

[ironglows]

  See if this doesn't stir memories, guys..

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7BksoPrkl0

  Now, how about sharing some of those memories?

[DEACONLLB]

What we had in Korea 1952 was K rations we had the regular old army mess kit with spoon knife and fork metal no plastic and the metal canteen with the canteen cup that went in the canvas canteen holder with web belt along with a bayonet. we had a large mess hall so we got cook meals but if you wished you could catch some army guys coming back from the front line and get some k rations. I really love the ones with corn beef hash and the 2 inch square block of hard Hershey candy and a tin of strawberry jam and some hard tack biscuits, and there was days work chewing tobacco cigarettes and other things. I have never found any corn Beef hash that was as good as was in those rations most did not like it so I was like a old hungry hound ready to take it if they did not wont it. Of course there were the powdered eggs and powdered milk. Our Thanksgiving dinner was out of this world the cooks went all out, we had Fresh baked Turkey, corn bread dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, hot apple pie with Ice cream, peach cobbler, fresh baked hot rolls, shrimp cocktails. Now that was a meal to remember

Deaconllb

[magooch]

I wouldn't feed any of that crap to my neighbors dog.  Jailbirds eat better than that.  What did our soldiers do to deserve that kind of punishment anyway?  Thankfully I was in the US Air Force and we were fed like you wouldn't believe--especially in SAC.  Sometimes I would eat five times a day just because I could.  All of that and I didn't get fat--too busy chasing girls and having fun.

[ironglows]

Actually, some C-rations were  not bad at all..others, uggg.. Sure, the Navy and Air force in general, had things easier..but is that an old, gray, veterans boasting point? That's no fun in the jawbone sessions, down at the Legion or VFW !    

  Yes, during the Korean conflict, my older brother served aboard the "Big J", the battleship USS New Jersey, sister ship to the Big Mo.. the USS Missouri.  He enlisted purely because he couldn't picture himself making a home in a freezing fox hole.
  It was apparently a good choice...seeing the painful story of the "frozen Chosin".

   Tell us, is there any truth in this?   https://www.military.com/undertheradar/2016/03/the-13-funniest-military-memes-of-the-week-33016

  In truth; we need ALL branches to be effective; including and a big welcome to the brand new... Space Force !

     

[Lloyd Smale]

ate them 3 or 4 times a week when we were in south america. I was one of the odd ones that didnt mind them. i was told the new ones are a heck of alot better then what we had.

[ironglows]

 Yes, having been given a couple of the newer MRE packs by my grandson...I can say they are a vast improvement over the C-rations.

  Of course they are not like a hot mess hall meal (normally), but still an improvement.
  Still, the troops, and they have earned a right...jab at their field rations.
  I have heard MREs referred to as "Meals Rejected by Ethiopians"!  More in fun, than in serious complaint, I believe.

  BTW.. After all these years, I still have both dog tags on the small bead chain...along with a P-38.

[DEACONLLB]

I still have the dog tags a p38 and a Hand  grenade  Ring I use as key ring had it since I was in Korea 1952 still have my Duffle Bag My dress uniform Hat and brass, all my ribbons and presidential unit siltation from the president of Korea. and lots of pictures and my pocket Bible my mother gave me when I was 10 carried it all my time in the military, cant believe it has been that long ago. Even have our Thanksgiving Dinner menu and a card of thanks from our unit commander.

Deaconllb

[DEACONLLB]

I will say this about the Navy my best and worst meal when I was in the military was navy chow. When we pulled out of San Francisco headed for Japan our first breakfast was brown beans and a very greasy link sausage.

Deaconllb 

[ironglows]

Deacon; you saved more by far, than I did!  I have that dog tag/P-38 chain, and some photographs.  However, I did find an old fatigue jacket in a trunk about 2-3 years ago, just didn't hang onto the stuff.
  The Navy food I had was back and forth across the Atlantic, on MSTS troop ships.  It wasn't very good, but then I didn't expect it to be, since when it was just the crew, the cook probably prepared for what? ..a couple hundred? When laden with troops, probably several thousands..

  Worst Army chow (IMO) is when eating at a consolidated mess..say 5,000 to 30,000, in  single mess hall.  My post in Germany served all in one mess..about 15,000 troops. 
  When we were in the field on an alert or an FTX, our own company mess sergeant, drew rations for us and did a good job out in the woods in a mess tent !  ..Back on post, it was not usually anything to brag about !

[Lloyd Smale]

Only thing i took a big set to consume in them were the 10-20 year old cigerettes. Most of us smoked but we tossed them or gave them to our chief. He was a hard core old bugger that tore the filter off Marlboros when he bummed one from you which i think he did more then buy them .

Yes, having been given a couple of the newer MRE packs by my grandson...I can say they are a vast improvement over the C-rations.

  Of course they are not like a hot mess hall meal (normally), but still an improvement.
  Still, the troops, and they have earned a right...jab at their field rations.
  I have heard MREs referred to as "Meals Rejected by Ethiopians"!  More in fun, than in serious complaint, I believe.

  BTW.. After all these years, I still have both dog tags on the small bead chain...along with a P-38.

[DEACONLLB]

When I was going through Japan on my way to Korea  The mess hall at the transit base was a Navy mess hall ran and operated as best i remember by the salvation Army and had really great food and plenty of it. My Base at Kimpo Korea Designated K14 had great food although I was not a great lover of powdered milk and powdered eggs. When I was stationed at Oxnard air force base at Oxnard Calif. all the food supplies were bought local purchase and we really ate good. One breakfast a week we had eggs to order fixed any way you wanted them.

Deaconllb

[ironglows]

My best chow hall was at Ft Hood, in 1956.  I was TDY for most of that year, to the athlete's barracks, which was more or less on the southwest corner of the post. Up on that same area, was the 4th Army cooks & baker's school, which was our assigned mess hall.

  If you recall or look it up, you will note that 1956 was an Olympic year, and the athlete's barracks were bursting at the seams.  In any case, the aspiring cooks & bakers were doingbtheir best to make each meal, as if they were working at the officer's club.

  For instance, when we were served watermelon, it was served as balls, scooped out with little dippers.  Cakes were decoratively iced and nicely presented.  Shucks, for breakfast, even SOS was served with a sprig of parsley!

[DEACONLLB]

I never had SOS (cream beef on toast) decorated but I did like it I don't what the ratio of like, dislike was but it may have been 50-50. Maybe we could get a response from the Vets on here see how that goes. Put me down for Like.

Deaconllb

[ironglows]

  The guys of course, had a term for that dish..  it was called " s _ _t on a shingle".  Actually, it was likely the most popular breakfast in the consolidated mess on our post overseas.
      I sometimes choose to fix a near replica for myself !  For those unfamiliar, SOS is dried, chipped beef in a cream sauce, served over toast...

  Actually, it was about the only way we got warm toast in the morning..because the cream sauce was heated.   

[Lloyd Smale]

thats one thing the military taught me to love. I remember the first time i looked at it i though who the hell would eat that. But i tried it and loved it. Our cook would get creative. At times we just didnt have chipped beef or even fresh eggs so he would use sausage or even hamburger that he spiced up. Many mornings we ate hamburger crap on a shingle on top of powdered eggs. I mostly make it today with sausage because i make that and chipped beef in the store is expensive. I usually make up 4-5lbs of sausage batches and freeze them in small glad container. Probably eat it at least once a week. Any egg dish be it just eggs an egg casserole, pie or burrito gets sausage gravy on top. Maybe once or twice a year ill spring for some chipped beef and do it right. 

  The guys of course, had a term for that dish..  it was called " s _ _t on a shingle".  Actually, it was likely the most popular breakfast in the consolidated mess on our post overseas.
      I sometimes choose to fix a near replica for myself !  For those unfamiliar, SOS is dried, chipped beef in a cream sauce, served over toast...

  Actually, it was about the only way we got warm toast in the morning..because the cream sauce was heated.   

[ironglows]

For SOS, I found some canned sausage gravy at the grocery store, which is rich in sausage, and that's how I make my SOS.  I may put it over either toast or hot biscuits.

  Come Sundays on post, and our cooks got lazy..  One Monday they served over for dinner, some SOS cream they had left over from Sunday breakfast.  Well, whoever place the stuff in the refrigerator the day before, apparently did it too soon, while it was hot !  The rseult was that as it cooled from the outer edges a bug of some kind got involved, and time the center got cooled, it must have been toxic, since some of the guys got pretty sick from it, while others who ate some of the same stuff, suffered no ill effects!

  Also on lazy Sundays, The troops were fed plenty of what they called "horse c_ _k" , which was nothing more than sausages, sliced up, so as to make sandwiches with !

[DEACONLLB]

The only meal we got on Sunday was the meal I never cared for was the evening meal which was always cold cuts make your own sandwich.

Deaconllb