Vietnam Vet eats 40 yo C-rations

[unregistered29228]

See, expiration dates mean nothing....

Vietnam Veteran Keeps Vow, Eats 40-Year-Old Cake
Friday , July 24, 2009

Forty years later, Henry A. Moak, Jr., still loves his pound cake.

The Army colonel popped open an old military 'C' Ration can of pound cake from 1969 at his retirement ceremony, and dug in.

Moak got the drab olive can as a Marine helicopter pilot off the Vietnamese coast in 1973. He vowed to hang on to it until the day he retired, storing it in a box with other mementos.

After a formal retirement ceremony, dozens of friends and relatives joined Moak in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes as he opened the can to cheers. Moak joked earlier this week that he hoped the can wouldn't explode. It let off a whooshing sound as the pressure seal broke.

"It smells good," Moak said as he put a handful in his mouth. He jokingly staggered back a few feet and loudly cleared his throat, while one person yelled out, "Eeww, gross!"

Moak pronounced the cake "good."

"It's even a little moist," he said, wiping his mouth. He dared anybody "gutsy" enough to join him, and retired Lt. Gen. Paul T. Mikolashek, who was the U.S. Army Europe commander when Moak served overseas, took an even bigger piece.

"Tastes just like it always did," Mikolashek mumbled with a mouthful of cake as Moak laughed and clapped.

Moak said he wasn't worried about getting sick from any bacteria that may have gotten into the old can, because it looked sealed. But the military discourages eating from old rations.

"Given the risks ... we do everything possible to ensure that overly aged rations are not consumed," said Lawrence Levine, a spokesman for the Defense Supply Center in Philadelphia.

Levine named the threats as mold and deadly botulism if the sealing on the food has been broken, which isn't always visible.

Moat says though he warned his children over the years not to touch his pound cake, he did let them eat some other rations when they were growing up in the 1980s, including canned spaghetti and crackers.

And how did those taste? "Fine. Well ... not like from our great restaurants."

[BRYAN]

When I first enlisted in the 80's we were still eating C-Rations dated from the vietnam era. It's all about storage conditions. They were not that great fresh anyhow. BTW, I was officially notified last week that I could not feed my troops MRE's until further notice because of a problem. It seems a few recent lots have been making some troops ill. Not sure if contractor involved sells to civilian market or even which contractor it is.

Not a lot to go bad in those old pound cakes if the can was still sealed and not kept in a hot place.

Not a lot good about them either.

.....Alan.

[FourDeuce]

When I joined the Army in 1975 we were still eating old C-rations. I had some once that had a small pack of Chesterfield cigarettes in them.

[denaliguide]

we were given C-Rats from WWII, specifically 1944, by the cadre, they seemed not too worried by it at the time and ate them with us. My dad used to give me C-rats all the time when I was a kid, and he enlisted in '43.

DG

Originally Posted by FourDeuce

When I joined the Army in 1975 we were still eating old C-rations. I had some once that had a small pack of Chesterfield cigarettes in them.

When I went in during late '82 they gave us C-rats and by the time I was finished with basic they were giving us the very first MREs. After the first one I asked if I could have the C-rats back! I'm given to understand the MREs have improved a lot since then.

.....Alan.

If anything I think this guy just proved we need to fund more mental health services for our GI's....if not then more GI services for the GI's! This guy could have an iron gut after eating that many C Rations!

[ChristyACB]

I remember C rats..wow. They must have been seriously old to have gotten to me in 86 if they were phased out after vietnam. Glad I didn't know how old they were or I might have gone hungry that day.

Taste wasn't great at all, but it sure filled you up.

[Ode]

I think I would have had a pretty hard time mustering up enough courage to take a bite unless I knew for sure it had been stored in optimal long life conditions. Couldn't he have just chewed on a 40 year old board or something?