A riveting tale, well written. It's good to put these things into writing, so that future generations know what it was like and get a "you were there" or "there I was, just mindin' my own business" perspective.
I never visited Vietnam, but parts of the story did recall some memories, other times, other places. It's the little things that tweak the most - for example, I can recall heating that nasty-assed C-rat instant coffee ("Fortified with vitamin C"!) in steel canteen cups powered by a smear of C4 set on fire on their bottom, as well as the admonition to never stomp out a fire - there might be a bit of C4 in there!
I think there are not many left today who have a gut-level understanding of C-rats, since MRE's have been the stock in trade for nearly 40 years of combat troops today. I can recall hoarding the sugar and creamer packs from C-rats to use in making "icing" for the little cakes-in-cans, and everyone trying to get rid of their "ham and motherfuckers" (ham and lima beans) meals. I still carry a P-38 on my keychain to this day. C-rats are a thing of the past, but it still works wonders on cans of stuff that hasn't stepped into the 21st century and installed pull-tabs on the cans. Most recently, it was used to open a can of tamales for a midnight snack - it's still serviceable. Grace thinks I'm an idiot for still using it, but I can work it nearly as fast as her hand-crank can opener, and it gives me a sense of accomplishment.
Some of that stuff still comes in handy upon occasion. Once, when we were living in Gibsonville, NC, the power went out after a storm for about 3 days. So I dug through the closet and got out of my (still packed) kit a canteen cup, one of those little canteen stoves, and a trioxane bar that had not evaporated, and took it out on the back deck. I found an old brake rotor to use as a cooking base, and set about heating up some coffee in the canteen cup with about a third of the trioxane bar, My son came out to see what was going on, and laughed at me saying "there just ain't nothin' gonna get between you and your coffee, is there?" "Damn straight" with a grin was the reply.
Those things, more than the blood and choking smoke, fireballs and loud noises, are what I hope to keep with me when my mind finally evacuates it's AO.
Thanks for the story - it really should get published in an anthology. The future should always remember what the past was really like, even if only vicariously, through the eyes of someone else that was really there.
![[Image: attachment.php?aid=1065]](https://rogue-nation.com/mybb/attachment.php?aid=1065)
My keychain - P-38 top center, in the place of honor. The "key" at bottom center is for the trigger lock on my pistol. It's never used, but kept handy "just in case". The flash drive at left is full of information (256 GB), mostly encrypted but some medical "in the clear" that I think ought to be with me wherever I go.
.
I never visited Vietnam, but parts of the story did recall some memories, other times, other places. It's the little things that tweak the most - for example, I can recall heating that nasty-assed C-rat instant coffee ("Fortified with vitamin C"!) in steel canteen cups powered by a smear of C4 set on fire on their bottom, as well as the admonition to never stomp out a fire - there might be a bit of C4 in there!
I think there are not many left today who have a gut-level understanding of C-rats, since MRE's have been the stock in trade for nearly 40 years of combat troops today. I can recall hoarding the sugar and creamer packs from C-rats to use in making "icing" for the little cakes-in-cans, and everyone trying to get rid of their "ham and motherfuckers" (ham and lima beans) meals. I still carry a P-38 on my keychain to this day. C-rats are a thing of the past, but it still works wonders on cans of stuff that hasn't stepped into the 21st century and installed pull-tabs on the cans. Most recently, it was used to open a can of tamales for a midnight snack - it's still serviceable. Grace thinks I'm an idiot for still using it, but I can work it nearly as fast as her hand-crank can opener, and it gives me a sense of accomplishment.
Some of that stuff still comes in handy upon occasion. Once, when we were living in Gibsonville, NC, the power went out after a storm for about 3 days. So I dug through the closet and got out of my (still packed) kit a canteen cup, one of those little canteen stoves, and a trioxane bar that had not evaporated, and took it out on the back deck. I found an old brake rotor to use as a cooking base, and set about heating up some coffee in the canteen cup with about a third of the trioxane bar, My son came out to see what was going on, and laughed at me saying "there just ain't nothin' gonna get between you and your coffee, is there?" "Damn straight" with a grin was the reply.
Those things, more than the blood and choking smoke, fireballs and loud noises, are what I hope to keep with me when my mind finally evacuates it's AO.
Thanks for the story - it really should get published in an anthology. The future should always remember what the past was really like, even if only vicariously, through the eyes of someone else that was really there.
My keychain - P-38 top center, in the place of honor. The "key" at bottom center is for the trigger lock on my pistol. It's never used, but kept handy "just in case". The flash drive at left is full of information (256 GB), mostly encrypted but some medical "in the clear" that I think ought to be with me wherever I go.
.