

© Tom Davern
8 & 9 Platoons
1st Tour |
 |
The Australian
one-man ration pack consists of a plastic bag
containing 3 meals (when reconstituted) for 1
day, about the length and width of an A4 sheet
of paper with a depth of about 4 inches. The
American rations for 1 day consisted of 3
different individual cardboard boxes, each
consisting of 1 meal. The yank rations did have
some good things in them like smokes, ‘Pall
Mall’, ‘Lucky Strike’. ‘Unfiltered Camel’,
‘Marlboro’, usually about 5 smokes per meal.
They also had a couple of brands of ‘Menthol’
tasting cigarettes which tasted like shit and a
rather potent and foul tasting meal in a tin
called ‘Ham and Lima Beans’.
Usually we carried 3 or 4 Aussie ration packs
and 9 or 12 Yank cardboard boxes (1 meal each)
about one and a half size of a Dolphin Eveready
battery.
As it was my job to collect the rations and all
the other equipment, and issue it to my Section
members, I used to lay all the rations and
individual equipment out on the ground and at
base, call the troops in to collect their gear.
Naturally, after Operation Hardihood, there
always would be some frantic trading and
swapping going on amongst the troops whilst
packing both the Australian, and especially the
yank rations into their packs (to lighten the
load and get rid of especially the menthol
cigarettes and the mongrel Ham and Lima Bean
feed).
As a fair and just Lance Corporal, I would
always wait until there was just one stack of
rations left, for me. Inevitably, for some
further two months, I always ended up with at
least 1 or 2 and on one occasion 3 yank feeds
with the hated ‘Ham and Lima Bean’ feed amongst
my supplies.
By this stage if the manufacturer of the ‘Ham
and Lima Bean’ feed had walked into the base
area, I possibly could have shot him!
“Why me Lord, why me?” I curse to myself, whilst
once again stashing the disgusting feed into my
pack.
Suddenly, I saw the light! You most definitely
cannot trust your very close comrades in a war,
even though you expect them to be fair and
upright as you are!
The yank individual cardboard packs had printed
on their tops what the meal contained!
I know, I know, but as a young fellow (then, and
readers might think me a bit slow), I really
believed ‘One for all, and all for one’ related
to my Section. Hence the reason I am such a
cynical elderly person now.
From then on all yank rations, were turned
upside down, by me and strict instructions given
“No one will tamper with them, pick them up and
go.” Thinking to myself, ”Now you conniving pack
of hyenas, go! Go, squabble and snarl over your
prizes, you shall not leave me with the lees of
your feasts again!”
And so it came to pass, that a mere lance
corporal/croupier watched with bated breath
whilst, the dice was cast, knowing full well,
where the ‘Ham and Lima Beans’ feeds were
situated.
I am sure this recollection, should cause all
those surviving members from the pack, to hang
their heads in shame. I know it won’t. What I
do know, they and I would have died for each
other. And seeing that I, so bitter and twisted
as regards this matter didn’t die, as they
didn’t, I could envision, upon my death's door,
I somehow could arrange the compulsory force
feeding of at least one meal a day of ‘Ham and
Lima Beans’ to all of them, everyday, until they
finally fall of the perch.
Article courtesy 'Tiger Tales' The official
newsletter of the 5RAR Association.
TALES FROM THE TIGER
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