Meal, Combat, Individual ration
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The Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) was the name of canned wet
combat ration A field ration (combat ration, ration pack, or food packet) is a type of prepackaged or canned Military rations, military ration. Field rations are distinguished from Garrison ration, garrison rations by virtue of being designed for minimal ...
s issued by the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
Armed Forces from 1958 to 1980, when it was replaced by the
Meal, Ready-to-Eat A Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) is a self-contained, individual field ration in lightweight packaging purchased by the United States Department of Defense for its service members for use in combat or field conditions where other food is not availa ...
(MRE).Meyer, A.I. and Klicka, M.V.,
Operational Rations, Current and Future of the Department of Defense
', Technical Report Natick TR-82/031 (September 1982)


, MREInfo.Com, retrieved 4 August 2011


Development and packaging

Despite the new name, the MCI was still popularly referred within the military as the C-ration. The MCI was intended as a modest improvement over the earlier canned C-ration, with inclusion of additional menu items to reduce monotony and encourage adequate daily feeding and nutrition. Heavy for their content, they were eventually phased out in favor of the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE). Although the
MRE A Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) is a self-contained, individual field ration in lightweight packaging purchased by the United States Department of Defense for its service members for use in combat or field conditions where other food is not avail ...
was formally adopted as the Department of Defense combat ration in 1975, the first large-scale production test of the MRE did not occur until in 1978, with the first MRE I rations packed and delivered to Army stores in 1981. MCI rations continued to be issued when the MRE was introduced until inventories were depleted. The MCI consisted of a rectangular cardboard carton containing one small flat can, one large can, and two small cans. It consisted of an "M"-unit can (meat-based entree item), a "B"-unit (bread item) composed of the Crackers & Candy Can and the flat Spread Can, and a "D"-unit can (dessert item). The M-1, M-3, B-1, B-2, D-2, and D-3 unit cans were small and the M-2, B-3, and D-1 unit cans were large. The ration cans were packed upright, with the flat Spread can over the large can on the left side and the two small cans were stacked one over the other on the right side (the lighter one over the heavier one). On top was the brown foil Accessory Pack and a white plastic spoon wrapped in clear plastic. Each carton contained a single complete
meal A meal is an eating occasion that takes place at a certain time and includes consumption of food. The names used for specific meals in English vary, depending on the speaker's culture, the time of day, or the size of the meal. Although they c ...
providing approximately 5,000 kJ (1,200 kilo calories or 1,200 kcal), with a packaged weight of and volume of . The label of the ration carton was printed across the lid of the rectangular box in three rows. The first row always read "MEAL, COMBAT, INDIVIDUAL". The second row indicated the name of the meat unit in bold capital block letters (e.g., "TURKEY LOAF") and the third row indicated the "B"-unit number (either B-1, B-2 or B-3 Unit) in bold capital block letters. Sometimes there was a smaller fourth line of type at the very bottom of the cover that either indicated the contractor who made the ration or the manufacturer that made the cardboard box itself. The ration boxes were shipped in a rectangular cardboard packing case. Each packing case contained 12 ration cartons (containing one of each meal) packed in two rows of six rations. They were grouped in three menus of four meals each, organized by their "B"-unit (B-1, B-2, and B-3). It also contained four paper-wrapped
P-38 can opener The P-38, developed in 1942, is a small can opener that was issued in the canned field rations of the United States Armed Forces from World War II to the 1980s. Originally designed for and distributed in the K-ration, it was later included in t ...
s to open the cans. Each packing case weighed and had a volume of . Early cases were bound with baling wire, but late Vietnam War and post-war cases were bound in plastic strapping.


Menus


Meat unit

The "M" unit came in 12 basic varieties grouped in three menus of four different entrees (later supplemented by "alternative" variant entrees). Taking into account slight differences in preparation or meat, a total of 18 entrees were available over time: *M-1: Beefsteak, Chicken or Turkey Loaf, Chopped Ham & Eggs, or Ham Slices (Cooked in Juices or Fried). M-1A: Tuna fish. *M-2: Meat Chunks w/ Beans in Tomato Sauce, Ham & Lima Beans, Beef Slices w/ Potatoes in Gravy (Beef and Boulders), or Beans w/. Frankfurter Chunks in Tomato Sauce. M-2A: Spaghetti w/ Meatballs in Tomato Sauce. *M-3: Beef in Spiced Sauce, Boned Chicken or Turkey, Chicken w/ Noodles in Broth, or Pork Steak Cooked in Juices. M-3A: Meat Loaf. ''Ham and Lima Beans'' was colloquially known throughout the armed forces as "Ham and Motherfuckers" (or other variants such as "Beans and Motherfuckers", "Ham & Claymores", "Ham & Lifers"). ''Beans with Frankfurter Chunks in Tomato Sauce'' was called "Beanie Weenie" or "Beans and Baby Dicks".


Bread unit

The "B" unit came in three different varieties: *B-1: Seven crackers and two chocolate discs (''Types'': Solid Chocolate "also known as Lifer Bars", Chocolate Creme, or Chocolate Coconut). **Peanut Butter Spread. *B-2: Four Hardtack Biscuits (often referred to by troops as "John Wayne cookies") and a cookie sandwich or fudge disc. **
Cheese Spread Cheese spread is a soft spreadable cheese or processed cheese product. Various additional ingredients are sometimes used, such as multiple cheeses, fruits, vegetables and meats, and many types of cheese spreads exist. Pasteurized process cheese s ...
(''Types'':
Processed Cheese Processed cheese (also known as process cheese, cheese food, prepared cheese, cheese product, or plastic cheese) is a food product made from cheese and unfermented dairy ingredients mixed with emulsifiers. Additional ingredients, such as vegeta ...
w/
Pimento A pimiento or pimento (or cherry pepper) is a variety of large, red, heart-shaped chili pepper ('' Capsicum annuum'') that measures 3 to 4 in (7 to 10 cm) long and 2 to 3 in (5 to 7 cm) wide (medium, elongate). Pimientos can have vari ...
s or Processed Cheese w/
Caraway Seeds Caraway, also known as meridian fennel and Persian cumin (''Carum carvi''), is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe, and North Africa. Etymology The etymology of "caraway" is unclear. Caraway has been ...
). Spread Alternative: Plain
Cheddar Cheddar most often refers to either: *Cheddar cheese *Cheddar, Somerset, the village after which Cheddar cheese is named Cheddar may also refer to: Places * Cheddar, Ontario, Canada * Cheddar Yeo, a river which flows through Cheddar Gorge and t ...
Cheese. *B-3: Four Cookies and a packet of Cocoa powder. **
Jam Jam is a type of fruit preserve. Jam or Jammed may also refer to: Other common meanings * A firearm malfunction * Block signals ** Radio jamming ** Radar jamming and deception ** Mobile phone jammer ** Echolocation jamming Arts and ente ...
Spread (''Types'': Apple, Mixed Berry, Seedless Blackberry, Mixed Fruit, Grape, or Strawberry). It was used with the bread in the D-3 can.


Dessert unit

The "D" unit came in three different types: *D-1 (Fruit): Halved apricots, sliced peaches, quartered pears, or fruit cocktail. D-1A (Fruit): Applesauce. *D-2 (Cake):
Pound Cake Pound cake is a type of cake traditionally made with a pound of each of four ingredients: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. Pound cakes are generally baked in either a loaf pan or a Bundt mold. They are sometimes served either dusted with powd ...
, Fruitcake, or Cinnamon
Nut Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Co ...
Roll Roll or Rolls may refer to: Movement about the longitudinal axis * Roll angle (or roll rotation), one of the 3 angular degrees of freedom of any stiff body (for example a vehicle), describing motion about the longitudinal axis ** Roll (aviation) ...
. D-2A (Cake): Date Pudding or
Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...
Nut Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Co ...
Roll Roll or Rolls may refer to: Movement about the longitudinal axis * Roll angle (or roll rotation), one of the 3 angular degrees of freedom of any stiff body (for example a vehicle), describing motion about the longitudinal axis ** Roll (aviation) ...
. *D-3 (Bread): White bread. (There were no alternatives). Each menu was grouped by their unit number (i.e., M-1, B-1 and D-1 items were grouped together). Alternative items (designated with an "A" suffix) were introduced to provide variety and reduce the monotony. For variety, the M-1 and M-3 units (since they both used small cans) were often switched. The "B"-unit's Crackers & Candy tin was lined with a piece of corrugated cardboard to protect the contents from damage. In the "D"-unit, the white bread came in one solid cylindrical piece wrapped in wax paper, while the pound cake, fruitcake, Orange Nut Roll, and Cinnamon Roll came wrapped in paper wrappers like cupcakes. The Accessory Pack came with salt, sugar,
instant coffee Instant coffee is a beverage derived from brewed coffee beans that enables people to quickly prepare hot coffee by adding hot water or milk to coffee solids in powdered or crystallized form and stirring. Instant coffee solids (also called sol ...
, non-dairy creamer, two pieces of candy-coated
chewing gum Chewing gum is a soft, cohesive substance designed to be chewed without being swallowed. Modern chewing gum is composed of gum base, sweeteners, softeners/ plasticizers, flavors, colors, and, typically, a hard or powdered polyol coating. Its t ...
, a packet of toilet paper, a four-pack of commercial-grade cigarettes, and a book of 20 cardboard moisture-proof matches. Typical commercial brands issued in the cigarette ration were: Camel, Chesterfield,
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
,
Kool Kool may refer to: People * Kool (surname), surname of Dutch origin * Robert "Kool" Bell (born 1950), American bassist and founder of Kool and the Gang * Roger Kool (1954–2005), Singaporean DJ (Roger Kiew) * Kool DJ Herc (born 1955), Jamaican ...
,
Lucky Strike Lucky Strike is an American brand of cigarettes owned by the British American Tobacco group. Individual cigarettes of the brand are often referred to colloquially as "Luckies." Throughout their 150 year history, Lucky Strike has had fluctuating ...
,
Marlboro Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (now separate from Altria) outside the US. The largest Mar ...
, Pall Mall, Salem, or Winston. Due to health concerns, cigarettes were eliminated from the accessory packs in 1972.


Repackaging

In 1967 there were changes in packaging to help standardize the ration. The B cans were now all small sized.


Postwar additions

The B-1 unit added Chocolate-Toffee, Chocolate-Vanilla, and Chocolate with Peanuts discs. The B-2 unit jam spreads were expanded with the addition of Blackberry Jam, Peach Jam, and Pineapple Jam. The B-3 unit added a Vanilla Fudge disc and Hickory-Smoked Processed Cheese Spread. The D-2 units added a Cherry Nut Roll and a
Chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...
Nut Nut often refers to: * Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds * Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt Nut or Nuts may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Co ...
Roll Roll or Rolls may refer to: Movement about the longitudinal axis * Roll angle (or roll rotation), one of the 3 angular degrees of freedom of any stiff body (for example a vehicle), describing motion about the longitudinal axis ** Roll (aviation) ...
.


Field reports

Although the MCI had been designed as improvement over the earlier Type C or C ration of World War II and Korea, with the inclusion of additional menu items, it was still designed for infrequent use, to be regularly supplemented with fresh Type A (Garrison) and canned Type B (Field Kitchen) rations. This goal was rarely achieved in the field, and some Army and Marine forces in Vietnam would operate for two weeks or more while consuming only the MCI ration or other processed, canned foods. The new ration had some curious superstitions attached to it during the Vietnam War. The "Ham & Lima Beans" entree, disliked since Korea, was detested by U.S. soldiers and Marines, who considered even pronouncing the correct name brought bad luck, instead calling it "Ham and Motherfuckers". US Marines, paratroops, infantrymen, and armored vehicle crewmen, particularly AMTRAC (Amphibious Tractor) personnel, believed that halved apricots were bad luck to eat during combat operations. The peanut butter issued in the B-1 unit was unappetizing to some and was often discarded, but was consumed by those with
diarrhea Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin w ...
, as it was certain to stop a case of "the runs". Soldiers in Special Operations units hoarded B-1 peanut butter in empty ration cans to make improvised smoke candles while on long patrols. Being extremely oily, the peanut butter burned with ease, and could be used to boil water for coffee, although it left a greasy black stain on the bottom of the canteen cup. Other menu items were more popular, such as the pound cake, canned pears, and the spaghetti & meatballs.Ehrhart, W.D., ''Vietnam-Perkasie: A Combat Marine Memoir'', with contrib. H. Bruce Franklin,
University of Massachusetts Press The University of Massachusetts Press is a university press that is part of the University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts a ...
(1995), , p. 200
Westheider, James E., ''The Vietnam War'', Greenwood Publishing Group (2007), , pp. 85–86 In 1973, Army Colonel Henry Moak was issued a MCI ration during his stay in Vietnam. Included in the MCI ration was a can of pound cake, manufactured in 1969. He kept the unopened can and vowed to eat the pound cake when he retired from the Army. On July 24, 2009, with news media and dignitaries in attendance, Moak opened the forty-year-old can and ate the contents. He noted that the pound cake still looked and smelled like fresh pound cake. Throughout the Marine Corps 'Beef Slices w/ Potatoes' were known as "Beef and Rocks" due to their half-cooked texture caused by the chemically maintained integrity of the potato slices to prevent disintegration during storage and "Beans with Frankfurter Chunks in Tomato Sauce" were more commonly referred to as "Beans and Baby Dicks". While Marines in general praised pound cake, particularly with fruit cocktail, most detested fruitcake and generally handed it off to less discriminating unit members. Within the Army during the Vietnam War, 'Beef Slices w/ Potatoes' were often referred to as "Beef and Shrapnel".


Improvised stove

The small "B"-unit can was often made into an improvised field stove (known as the "C-rat boonie stove") that could be carried in the cargo pockets of a set of combat fatigues. This was done by making a series of diagonal cuts around the top and bottom edges of the can with a
P-38 can opener The P-38, developed in 1942, is a small can opener that was issued in the canned field rations of the United States Armed Forces from World War II to the 1980s. Originally designed for and distributed in the K-ration, it was later included in t ...
or a standard
can opener A can opener (in North American English and Australian English) or tin opener (used in British English) is a mechanical device used to open tin cans (metal cans). Although preservation of food using tin cans had been practiced since at leas ...
to allow the trioxane fuel tablet to burn evenly and warm the entrée. Small balls of C-4 plastic explosive were often substituted for the fuel tablet, as it produced a hotter flame. The ball was smaller than an inch in diameter with a small tit pinch on it to light it by. Heating of canned meat items was often accomplished by inserting the can into the exhaust of a running truck where it would jam into the curved exhaust pipe end, warming it to a palatable temperature and de-congealing the grease. A second variation that was used by those with ready access to diesel fuel was to take a "church key" (also a needed item to open drinks cans) and make the same series of holes around the top sides of the can. Then, cardboard from the packaging box would be rolled up and placed into the can so that it just came to the top of the can. The can is dipped into the fuel tank of a source of diesel fuel, then lighted. The cardboard acted as a wick for the fuel and the can can be used to heat the rations as well as make tea or coffee. One "stove" was good for at least three or more men to heat their meal and make their coffee with one fueling.


End of the MCI ration

Though it had been given a new name, the MCI was in essence still the canned C ration of prior years. Selecting the MCI ration for all field issue resulted in limiting troops in the field to a single class of heavy wet packaged ration that despite meal variances, was simply not suitable for extended consumption. As they had in
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
and
Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
, soldiers and Marines regularly complained of the monotony of a single class of field ration, especially where field mess A and B rations were not available for extended periods of time. Despite the inclusion of additional menu items, the MCI was still designed only for "infrequent use" (unlike later individual rations, which would be required to pass a new field test of seven consecutive days of consumption as the sole diet without complaints of monotony). The overuse of the canned ration culminated during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
, where American troops frequently resorted to the extreme of placing stacked ration cans inside empty G.I. socks to save bulk and reduce noise on patrol, while enemy forces improved mobility by carrying lightweight rations of dry rice in scarves.Kearny, Cresson H., ''Jungle Snafus...And Remedies'', Oregon Institute (1996), pp. 286–288 Primarily implemented due to cost concerns, the decision to standardize on a single canned wet individual ration resulted in a severe weight penalty for troops marching on foot through the jungles of Vietnam while carrying a multi-day supply of MCI cans, adversely affecting combat readiness and increasing soldier fatigue (a typical complete individual ration of cans for one day weighed five and a half pounds).Westheider, James E., ''The Vietnam War'', Greenwood Publishing Group (2007), , p. 86White, Terry, ''The SAS Fighting Techniques Handbook'', Globe Pequot Press (2007), , pp. 27–28: In contrast, fast-moving NVA forces operating in jungle were supplied daily rations weighing a total of approximately 2.7 pounds. Many combat soldiers and Marines, already overburdened, carried the minimum amount to save weight on operations until the next resupply drop; when the drop was delayed, they went hungry. The failure of the
Quartermaster Corps Following is a list of Quartermaster Corps, military units, active and defunct, with logistics duties: * Egyptian Army Quartermaster Corps - see Structure of the Egyptian Army * Hellenic Army Quartermaster Corps (''Σώμα Φροντιστών ...
and its Subsistence Branch to develop a suitable lightweight general-purpose ration after World War II, combined with the absence of a dehydrated, very lightweight dry ration for jungle environments led directly to the hurried development of the Long Range Patrol, or
LRP ration LRP can refer to: * Lateralized readiness potential, an electrophysiological brain response * Layerwise Relevance Propagation, a method for understanding how artificial neural networks work * Lead replacement petrol * League for the Revolutionary P ...
in 1966.


Notes


External links


Markings on C Ration CartonsVietnam War C-Rations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meal, Combat, Individual Ration Military food of the United States