Can someone explain what C-4 is?

[Gunny]

Ahh - freeze-dried. Yeah, circa 1980? You're THAT old? wow. MRE's also had non-freeze-dried entries, too - even wayyyyyyyyyyyy back then. I turned 8 in dec of 1980...just sayin.

I was at my first duty station. Y'all can say what you want. I wouldn't eat MREs cold and that whole "meal, ready-to-eat" thing is a misnomer. C-Rats were like having Sphagetti-Os, etc.

[CSM]

I was at my first duty station. Y'all can say what you want. I wouldn't eat MREs cold and that whole "meal, ready-to-eat" thing is a misnomer. C-Rats were like having Sphagetti-Os, etc.

Yep. Of course back then you could cook, shave, and shower in your steel pot. Made a pretty good camp stool and sometimes sufficed as a pillow, though the mask was better for that.

Not pickier, just older. I have heard stories about how awful the early MREs are. The current ones while not gourmet food, aren't dogfood either. I actually still have some stored away.

Truth is if you are hungry enough you will eat ANYTHING.

[ConHog]

See, my memory of MREs is things like Spaghetti and meatballs or peanut butter and jelly sandwich and had M&Ms or something like that for dessert.

Yep. Of course back then you could cook, shave, and shower in your steel pot. Made a pretty good camp stool and sometimes sufficed as a pillow, though the mask was better for that.

UGH, what I remember about the steel pot is Drill Sergent Edwards having us boots lay on the ground with our steel pots under our chests with our arms behind our backs as some sort of "exercise." Not sure what that exercise was supposed to accomplish other than to entertain said drill sergeant.

[CSM]

UGH, what I remember about the steel pot is Drill Sergent Edwards having us boots lay on the ground with our steel pots under our chests with our arms behind our backs as some sort of "exercise." Not sure what that exercise was supposed to accomplish other than to entertain said drill sergeant.

Heh ... builds character as do most exercises in futility!

[ConHog]

Heh ... builds character as do most exercises in futility!

Got that right. I also remember filling MANY a sandbag only to march by the same spot the next day and see another platoon emptying those very sandbags . LOL

[Gunny]

Yep. Of course back then you could cook, shave, and shower in your steel pot. Made a pretty good camp stool and sometimes sufficed as a pillow, though the mask was better for that.



Truth is if you are hungry enough you will eat ANYTHING.

I DID shave and "shower" in my steel pot. I couldn't stand that kevlar helmet. Only thing it was good for was to sit on your head. Can't even dig with it.

[CSM]

I DID shave and "shower" in my steel pot. I couldn't stand that kevlar helmet. Only thing it was good for was to sit on your head. Can't even dig with it.

Too true. The lighter weight of Kevlar didn't make up for the loss of utility in my book.

[Gunny]

Too true. The lighter weight of Kevlar didn't make up for the loss of utility in my book.

You had to use your canteen cup for the utility stuff once they issued us the kevlar helmet. Heh ... and you KNOW a few hard-heads had to burn up their helmets just to see if it was true you couldn't heat it.

[ConHog]

I DID shave and "shower" in my steel pot. I couldn't stand that kevlar helmet. Only thing it was good for was to sit on your head. Can't even dig with it.

So, didn't the Marines include one of those nifty little folding shovels in your kit? What a trench tool, they may as well have just given us spoons. Lighter and just as effective.

[Gunny]

So, didn't the Marines include one of those nifty little folding shovels in your kit? What a trench tool, they may as well have just given us spoons. Lighter and just as effective.

We had e-tools. The steel pot displaced more earth at one time.

[CSM]

So, didn't the Marines include one of those nifty little folding shovels in your kit? What a trench tool, they may as well have just given us spoons. Lighter and just as effective.

Yeesh! you guys are giving me flashbacks! I remember when the "new" entrenching tool was issued too. Too many danged moving parts. I kept my old wooden handled one for a long time after that just because I like it better. Longer handle = more leverage.

Man we sound like a bunch of old geezers sitting around the cracker barrel at the general store! LOL

[Gunny]

Yeesh! you guys are giving me flashbacks! I remember when the "new" entrenching tool was issued too. Too many danged moving parts. I kept my old wooden handled one for a long time after that just because I like it better. Longer handle = more leverage.

That was another thing the military hosed up. That collapsible e-tool was worthless. In a pinch, those wooden handled e-tools made pretty good weapons. The collapsible one might get you over on a little kid or something.

Man we sound like a bunch of old geezers sitting around the cracker barrel at the general store! LOL

Hmmm .... I'm thinking you and I are the only ones sounding old.

[CSM]

That was another thing the military hosed up. That collapsible e-tool was worthless. In a pinch, those wooden handled e-tools made pretty good weapons. The collapsible one might get you over on a little kid or something.

Oh yeah. If you were really lucky you got one issued with the pick (spike) on the back. Good for skewering snakes of all kinds!

[Jess]

Hmmm .... I'm thinking you and I are the only ones sounding old.

You gentlemen want a warm-up on your coffee? *snaps chewing gum obnoxiously*

[CSM]

You gentlemen want a warm-up on your coffee? *snaps chewing gum obnoxiously*

and a big slice of apple pie!

Remember back in the mid 90s when we had pretty good MREs, LBE's, Ammo pouches, and the little metal clip things that held them to the pistol belt?

Heh heh ... plastic snap on the pistol belt! I did like that improvement.