Ham and Mothers: C-Ration Revelry and Revulsion in the Vietnam War

This article examines the relationship between American combat personnel and C-rations (MCIs) during the Vietnam War. It argues that these canned field rations helped grunts to endure the trials of deployment in three principal ways. The delight and dread generated by C-rations helped American troops to create shared wartime superstitions and battlefield mythologies; the ad hoc systems that units created to redistribute meal choices promoted group harmony and unit discipline; and some meals, such as ham and lima beans, acted as catalysts for venting anger or demonstrating jubilation that provided healthy outlets for stress.