When I was stationed in England in the late 1970s, every quarter they served C Rats to us in the chow hall to rotate the stock.
I still have a John Wayne (can opener) from back then. Loved the three cigarettes in each package. They were so dry one pull burned them almost to the end and you had a nicotine buzz for a while.
We thought the dark brown MREs were inspired by God…
Through the years, the MRE meals have gotten better. We keep a few cases around for hunting and to give to the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, who still seem to devour them with glee.
I spent many a freezing morning in a blind eating a MRE for breakfast using the chemical heater waiting for a moose or deer or ‘bou to come by.