New member here, and very impressed!

[Travelowl]

Greetings everyone! And all I can say is…wow! I am completely blown away by this site and the forums. I guess you could say that I am astonished that there are people out there who are as curious as I am about MREs and whatnot.

I have been using MREinfo.com as a research resource lately, and then I discovered the forums, and finally decided to join!

What initially brought me here may be a bit unusual compared to the rest of you. I will share my story so you know where I am coming from, so to speak.

Like many here, I first (and mostly) experienced eating MREs in the military, and at the time they were just a necessary evil…that was just the way it was if you wanted to eat! The most curious I ever got was when I was first issued a TOTM, circa 2002, and thought of it as a cheapened MRE. Otherwise I never gave MREs a second thought.

Oddly, the school I attended for my undergrad degree, which today is known as Framingham State University, in Framingham, MA, has been partnered up for a long time with a US Army R&D facility just a few miles down the road, known locally as “Natick Labs”, however I think the formal name is something different. The school often takes part in projects with the Army, and MRE development was a major feather in their cap for a long time. I am not sure about the school’s role these days, but I recall that when the MRE bags were last redesigned in 2008 or so, it was the front page news story on the alumni newsletter, complete with full color photos. When I got the newsletter in the mail, I was quite impressed. Imagine that! My little ol’ “teacher’s college” being a hub of development for the MRE, among other things. During my time there, 20 years or so ago, I recall a professor from down south (the consummate sweet Southern Belle) in the home studies department (or whatever they called it) was heavily involved in the MRE evaluation process. I had her as a professor and she always asked me things about MREs because I was the token veteran in the class. Frankly I didn’t care much, but she had tons of interesting things to tell me and show me. I wish I had paid more attention!

Anyhow, I left the military nine years ago and put MREs out of my mind, for the most part. Until something happened this past summer, which led me here. I am a supervisor in a federal law enforcement agency. I have a past background in city and state police as well as fire and EMS, so a few years ago I was “voluntold” that I was appointed to the emergency preparedness group in my building. We have had stores of MREs sitting in a room with all of our other “just in case” items-- and for what it’s worth, getting the stock rotated is a pain in the butt. However last summer, we were tasked with a major, long-term mission in the field, where we depleted our MRE supply and then had to doggedly pursue a restock. As a result, we had to inventory what we had and then what we received. We had just taken it for granted that the powers that be sent us MREs, but it turned out we had boxes of little sandwich-type snacks as well as First Strike Rations, once we looked closer. Those things were all new to me and unique, so I began to research them. Some of my co-workers became almost upset and asked why we kept getting those things and no more regular MREs, as they felt comfortable with the classic MRE from past military service. I found myself being the one to do all of the research, one thing led to another, and I ended up on MREinfo.com, time and time again.

And the rest, as they say, is history! After countless hours of phone calls and reading about MREs and similar things in the supply chain, I just sort of took off with it and have become quite self-educated. This site and these forums have been a major help to me and my co-workers, and I am glad to be here as a member now. I am not a collector, nor much of a consumer, but I have suddenly found myself quite intrigued by the things out there in the government that are available for both short- and long-term sustenance.

[housil]

Welcome at forums and thank you for your introduction

[elandil]

Cool story, and welcome to the forums.

[Ruleryak]

Hey Travelowl, welcome to the forums. Those sandwiches are all pretty good when hot. The bread can be a bit too doughy sometimes, but overall I think they were a good addition to the shelf stable foods family when the FSRs came along.

[parafireboy]

Welcome to the forums from Montana, and from a fellow LEO (I'm a reserve officer with a nearby PD)!

[[ex-Member1]]

Welcome from Croatia

[rabidwolf]

Welcome to the Forums. Though be forewarned, this place can be like the Hotel California.

[parafireboy]

Though be forewarned, this place can be like the Hotel California.

Haha

[Norton]

Yes that is a interesting story and we are glad to have you here.