Mysterious MRE Box...super early version?

[Capa]

Hey Guys,
Been a while since I have been on here. As I have stated before, my platoon was one of the first to get MREs at Parris Island back in 1983 so my love for them goes way back.
Anyway, I bought this box at an estate sale of a former Army officer over the weekend and am really stumped as to the date and story behind it. I don't think it is an in-flight meal.
The measurements are: 7 3/4" Lx4 3/4"Wx3"H. No markings on the box other than what you see.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Cheers,
Capa

[cavguy]

This appears to be a prototype MRE.

See post below for a similar one;
viewtopic.php?t=4968

The ration from the green box has been dated to approx. 1975 according to the MUNA-MUSEUM Marktbergel in Germany. So to accurately date your ration, might be impossible unless we have contents and a primary source.

There is also a similar one from Natick, dated to 1970.

https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/sea ... :gt54kr868

[Capa]

Wow, that was super fast. Thanks much for the reply. To open or not to open.....?

[cavguy]

Personally, I would open it by carefully cutting the tape with a sharp knife. As long as the box closes and has no tears, I would not think you are going to loose any collectors value. Please post contents of the box if you do decide to open it.

[Capa]

Roger that. Okay, I will mull it over. Absolutely, the contents get shown here first and foremost.

[Capa]

Well, I did it. I carefully opened it up. Here you go, as promised. Mystery partially solved. Anything in the green boxes was marked Experimental. If anyone is interested I can add more photos. Very interesting foil lined box. Also, in the thread you linked earlier, I think it was Norge who got his early MRE from someone who served in the 82nd. The gentleman from whom I got this at the estate sale was also in the 82nd.
Interested to hear your thoughts...

[gschultz9]

Wow, what an amazingly cool find! Thanks so much for sharing that with us Capa! It's too bad there doesn't seem to be any date codes on anything. It would be great to know exactly when this was from.

[cavguy]

Super cool historical find! Though I have no source to quote, I am betting this is going to be one of the first prototypes of a MRE! The reason I say this, is because the packaging material is nothing like either the 1970 or 1975 experimental MRE listed before.

[parafireboy]

Wow, Wow, Wow! What a great find you have there! Thanks for posting the pic, what a great item for your collection!

[Ruleryak]

Capa, I'm about to head out of town for a few weeks, but I would love to try to acquire this from you for the Military Ration Museum (a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to preserving the history of military food development). We could pay for it, or we could provide a tax deduction receipt for it and cover shipping costs. If you'd like to know more about us please check out this post and www.rationmuseum.com. If you're interested in helping us out here, please send me a PM and we'll go from there!