Anyone heard of this ration?

[donaldjcheek]

Has anyone else heard of the "Ration, Isolated Site, 3-person?" It was used only by the US Air Force, developed & fielded in 1965 and cancelled in 1974.

The idea was to provide personnel at small, isolated Air Force sites (primarily radar & weather stations), which had neither cooking facilities nor freezers, with nutritious and easy to prepare meals. Personnel used mess kits and small stoves to heat the meals, following directions printed on the labels. Eight menus were developed, each providing one breakfast, one dinner, and one supper for 3 people. The ration was packed in a corrugated cardboard box measuring 12" x 9" x 4 & 3/4" (.75 cubic feet), and weighed 19 lbs.

Almost everything in the ration was a commercially available off-the-shelf product, although limited use was made of B-ration components from the Small Detachment (5-in-1) ration and from the MCI (C-ration).

MENU 1
Breakfast: Peaches, Cereal Blocks, Fried Ham & Eggs, Peanut Butter, Bread, Cocoa Beverage Powder, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
Dinner: Beef Steak w/Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Canned Tomatoes, Bread, Pound Cake, Jam, Canned Milk, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
Supper: Salmon, Potato Sticks, Peas Bread, Cheese Spread, Pineapple, Vanilla Cream Cookies, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
MENU 2
Breakfast: Fruit Cocktail, Bacon, Beans w/Pork, Bread, Jam, Cocoa, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
Dinner: Ham Chunks w/Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Bread, Jam, Cookies, Canned Milk, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
Supper: Tomato Vegetable Soup, Ground Meat w/Spaghetti, Green Beans, Bread, Cheese Spread, Fruit Cake, Canned Milk, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
MENU 3
Breakfast: Orange Juice, Fried Luncheon Meat, Cereal Bars, Pecan Roll, Cocoa, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
Dinner: Pea Soup, Ham & Lima Beans, Applesauce, Crackers, Date Pudding, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
Supper: Turkey Loaf w/Gravy, Potato Sticks, Canned Tomatoes, Pineapple, Bread, Jam, Chocolate Fudge Discs, Coffee, Crearn Substitute, Sugar
MENU 4
Breakfast: Pears, Fried Ham, Beans w/Pork, Bread, Jam, Cocoa, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
Dinner: Beef w/Gravy, Corn, Bread, Jam, Chocolate Discs, Pound Cake, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
Supper: Pork Steaks w/Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Applesauce, Bread, Jam, Chocolate Nut Roll, Canned Milk, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
MENU 5
Breakfast: Grapefruit Juice, Fried Bacon, Beans w/Pork, Pecan Roll, Cocoa, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
Dinner: Chicken w/Gravy, Potato Sticks, Green Beans, Bread, Jam, Vanilla Pudding, Chocolate Sauce, Canned Milk, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
Supper: Onion Soup, Beefsteak & Potatoes, Peas, Peanut Butter, Bread, Cookies, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
MENU 6
Breakfast: Orange Juice, Fried Corn Beef Hash, Oatmeal, Jam, Bread, Canned Milk, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Dry, Sugar, Fruit Tablet
Dinner: Mushroom Soup, Tuna Fish, Rice, Peas, Bread, Jam, Chocolate Nut Roll, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
Supper: Meatballs & Beans, Corn, Peaches, Bread, Jam, Coconut Disc, Butterscotch Pudding, Canned Milk, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
MENU 7
Breakfast: Applesauce, Fried Pork Sausage Links, Malted Cereal Granules, Bread, Peanut Butter, Canned Milk, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
Dinner: Spiced Beef w/Sauce, Mashed Potatoes, (Gravy), Canned Tomatoes, Bread, Jam, Date Pudding, Canned Milk, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
Supper: Chicken Noodle Soup, Beans w/Frankfurters, Crackers, Cheese Spread, Orange Nut Roll, Chocolate Discs, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
MENU 8
Breakfast: Pineapple Juice, Fried Bacon, Scrambled Eggs, Bread, Cheese Spread, Cocoa, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
Dinner: Shrimp w/Curry Sauce, Rice, Lima Beans, Bread, Jam, Chocolate Pudding, Canned Milk, Starch Jelly Bars, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar
Supper: Chili Con Carne, Kidney Beans, Crackers, Cheese Spread, Apricots, Coffee, Cream Substitute, Sugar


Comment: after asking around, only ONE of my buddies (vaguely) remembers this. He was assigned to a 6-man radar site and they were provided with this ration.

He wasn't complimentary; the best he could say was that it was better than in-flight or C-rations. He also said that they would pick out what they wanted and give the rest to Mamasan. She would in turn provide them with rice, kimchi, bulgogi & mandu from the 'ville (along with beer!) so everyone was happy.

[rationtin440]

Interesting info donald! I'm wondering if the AT&T guys at these places http://coldwar-c4i.net/ATT_Project/index.html back in the day had similar stuff, but I've seen photos of some of these places after they were shut down and many of them looked like they had small kitchen facilities inside.

[cavguy]

Yet another reason to go "commo"... Most Retrans. guys I saw got MRE's and if the 1SG was cool enough supply Sgt. would make a food run up daily.

[rationtin440]

Actually cavguy, I talked to a couple friends who worked for AT&T in the 1970s and from what they told me these AT&T places I mentioned were actually underground microwave and troposcatter communications bunkers here in the states, so they probably had freeze-dried Mountain-House type stuff, and probably a few months worth-----but from my military experience I do remember that medics (ahem ) and commo guys were very well cared for!

[Treesuit]

I've never actually heard of these rations before but it sounds like a later day UGR type of ration. Or something similar to it. Judging from the menu list Donald, it sounds like something more delicious than the "in flight" rations.

Could you find a AF phamplet or Natick Labs manual like all the other rations out there that we have seen?

And for the record, I was a "commo" guy back in my early years and the "retrans" site was where we GOT AWAY from from the 1sgt and the likes. Though we always had dark brown MRE's back then and some more commerical foods as well.

[cavguy]

Treesuit,

I hear you about getting away from 1SG, those retrans jobs were always highly sought after too! As was the site security that came along with it.

[Treesuit]

Donald,

Just curious, was this ration set developed for just overseas stations, continental US, DoD multi use, or perhaps just AF wide useage?

I went back and re-read your first post and it seemed to me that there were quite a few "radar-weather stations" that were sparsely manned back in the days just within the continental US and Alaska. There was one in North Central ID that was a weather station for bomber crew out of eastern WA. The site was long since decommissioned and I have no other info on it but I was curious if this ration was meant as a supplement for crews here in the US or abroad?

[donaldjcheek]

Treesuit

The only information I have is an old Tech Report from NATICK (NATICK/TR-82/013: Summary of Operational Rations) dated June 1982. That and some anecdotal information from an old Army buddy*. It does seem to me that the ration would be supplied to personnel both in the US (CONUS and Alaska, both) and abroad. The exact wording, copied from the TR:

RATION, ISOLATED SITE, 3 PERSONS
DATE AVAILABLE FOR TROOP ISSUE: 1965
TYPE-CLASSIFIED (date): Not applicable (Air Force sale user)
SPECIFICATION: LP/P DES 35-65 (19 March 1965)
DESIGNED FOR: Personnel at small, isolated Air Force sites with little or no food preparation or freezer capability.
USED BY: Air Force
RATION/MEAL CONSISTS OF: Commercially canned meats, fish, and vegetables, Components from the MCI were also used, such as, beans and frankfurter chunks, desserts, and candies, as well as B Ration
components such as tuna fish and beef and gravy.
NUMBER OF MENUS: Eight; each menu contained one breakfast, dinner, and supper for three persons,
PRESENT STATUS: Obsolete (specification cancelled 20 March 1974).

(Dennis started out in the Air Force as a radar op. He transferred to the Army b/c of better promotion, figuring that since he was a radar tech, he would have a nice, safe REMF job in the Army. Wrong! Most Army radar is used for artillery or GSR -Ground Surveillance Radar, i.e. he spent a lot of time out in the boonies.)

[Seabee1977]

I wonder if the men at Lima Site 85 in Laos ate this type of ration? It was a small, remote location and occcured in the 1965-1974 time frame.

CMSgt Richard Etchberger received the Medal of Honor in the 1968 battle for the site against North Vietnamese commandos

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lima_Site_85

http://www.limasite85.us/

http://tpc.dodlive.mil/index.php/2010/1 ... tchberger/

[dirtbag]

How about 'Ration, Small Detachment", AKA 5-in 1's...?

http://olive-drab.com/od_rations_group_5in1.php

It mentions 'Dew Line'.