The Food Packet, Long Range Patrol or "LRP ration" (pronounced "Lurp") was a U.S. Army special field ration. It was developed in 1964 during the Vietnam War (1959-75) for use by Special Operations troops on long patrols deep in enemy territory, where the bulky canned MCI ration (formerly known as the C ration) proved too heavy for extended missions while afoot.
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Before the outbreak of World War II, Army planners and commanders had recognized the inadequacy of heavy canned wet rations when employed for infantry marching on long patrols, especially in extreme environments such as mountain or jungle terrain. To this end, the Jungle ration was developed and briefly issued during the first part of World War II. The Jungle Ration was a dry, lightweight multi-component daily meal that could be stored in light waterproof bags, easily carried by a foot soldier, and which would not spoil when exposed to heat and humidity for an extended period of time. Importantly, the Jungle ration was specifically designed to provide an increased amount of calories despite its lighter weight, ideal for a soldier operating in difficult jungle terrain on foot while carrying all of his equipment on his back. By all accounts the Jungle Ration was successful, however, cost concerns led to its replacement, first by substitution of increasingly heavier and less expensive canned components, followed by complete discontinuance in 1943.[1]
After the war, U.S. army logisticians again re-standardized field rations, eliminating all lightweight rations in favor of heavy canned wet rations such as the C ration and the Meal, Combat, Individual ration. The overuse of heavy canned wet rations reached a ludicrous extreme during the early years of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam war, when American soldiers on extended infantry patrol were forced to stack their canned rations in socks to minimize weight and noise.[2]
In response, the Food Packet, Individual, Combat (FPIC), it was developed in the early 1960s, though not issued in the field until 1966. The FPIC was designed to be nutritious, lightweight, and easily portable, the descendant of the dehydrated rations used by NASA's astronauts. The ration was originally a response to complaints about the weight of the canned ration. Carrying a multi-day supply of heavy wet canned MCI or C-rations, "a special operations team could become virtually immobile due to the weight of needed supplies. Mobility and stealth are decreased when loads become too heavy, and the soldier is too often worn down by midday. Fatigue affects alertness, making him more vulnerable to detection and error."[3] The ration's final 11 oz. (313 g) weight was a compromise between the original packet's target weight of 5 oz. (142 g) and the base 1 lb. (454 g) target weight of the larger experimental Meal, Ready-to-Eat, Individual (MRE-I), a forerunner of the later MRE. [4]
The ration differed from the standard wet-pack Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) in that it was a freeze-dried, vacuum-packed individual ration meal weighing 11 oz. (313 g) packed in a waterproof grey-green canvas envelope lined with aluminium foil.[5] Due to its discovered tendency to spoil in a wet or humid environment (i.e., all of South-east Asia), later ration packs came enclosed in an outer zip-lock clear-plastic bag to keep out the moisture. This drawback made it less than desirable as a standard ration.
Like the regular-issue U.S. canned Meal, Combat, Individual ration (MCI) or C ration, the LRP ration came with a plastic spoon and a brown-foil accessory packet containing coffee, cream substitute, sugar, salt, Candy-Coated Gum (2 pieces), toilet paper, book of matches, and a pack of 4 commercial-grade cigarettes. However, the LRP daily ration was 'energy depleted': it supplied 1,200 fewer calories (5.0 kJ) per day than the MCI.[6]
Menus consisted of a main entree and a dessert item.
Entrees included: Menu #1: Beef Hash, Menu #2: Chili con Carne, Menu #3: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Menu #4: Beef with Rice, Menu #5: Chicken Stew, Menu #6: Pork with Scalloped Potatoes,Menu #7: Beef Stew, and Menu #8: Chicken with Rice.
The dessert unit included one of the following : a Cereal Bar, a Fruitcake Bar, chocolate discs (2), a packet of individually-wrapped pieces of candy (Brachs caramels or Charms hard candies), or even freeze-dried fruit (pears, peaches, or apricots) in the late-war issue rations.
As it was a freeze-dried (dehydrated) ration, it required 1.5 pints (700 ml) of water to cook and reconstitute it. This was normally not a problem in environments where water supplies were generally plentiful.[7] However, the water sources in Vietnam were usually teeming with parasites (e.g., blood flukes and tapeworms) and viruses, so fresh water had to usually be transported in or by vehicle when on large-scale operations or collected from rainwater when in the field on patrols. In an emergency, the ration could be consumed 'dry', but the soldier doing so had to consume extra water to prevent dehydration. Soldiers usually mixed its contents with canned C-Rations to reduce monotony and to supply extra calories, as the ration was insufficient for an active soldier. However, this defeated the purpose of deploying the LRP ration in the first place.
Due to these drawbacks, the original concept of its wide adoption was shelved in favor of its limited use by Special Operations units like the Long Range Patrols, Special Forces, and Navy SEALs. It then acquired the new designation of Food Packet, Long Range Patrol (LRP), also known as "Lurp meals" or "long rats". Production was limited to 5 million units in 1967, rising to just 9 million in 1968.[8] It was considered a novelty by line soldiers, who usually "acquired" as many as they could before going on field operations.
The LRP ration continued to be procured in small quantities until the mid-1980s, when it was replaced by a thermo-stabilized ration, the Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE). Quartermaster Command and Army Food Services viewed the new ration as a suitable replacement for issue in all combat environments. Despite the long history of operational failures previously encountered in standardizing on a single type of individual ration,[9] the new MRE was duly adopted with the intention of replacing all the field rations and ration supplements in use.
While the MRE was lighter than the canned MCI and had more calories than the LRP ration, it had certain problems. US Special Operations forces found it too bulky and troops on maneuvers found some menu items were unsuited for easy digestion in cold weather / high-altitude or high-temperature / high-humidity environments. While unofficial practice was to strip out items deemed "unnecessary", this also reduced the ration's caloric content. Faced with these problems, this forced the adoption of a specialized ration for light troops or commando units on extended field operations.[9]
In 1994, a new version of the LRP ration called the LRP-I (Food Packet, Long-Range Patrol - Improved) was created. It was an 11 oz. (313 g) ration that came in a brown plastic retort pouch that allowed the user to reconstitute and cook the ration directly in the pouch. This was an improvement over the earlier LRP packet, which had to be boiled or soaked in a canteen cup or other cookware.
In 2001, the LRP-I was merged with the Meal, Cold-Weather (MCW) ration to create the consolidated MCW/LRP ration. As in years past, this was done in order to further standardize supply and save costs, as both were considered compact, high-calorie meals that were designed for use by active soldiers in the field. The meals differ only in the accessory packs; one is geared for use by light infantry and commando units while the other is geared more for use in cold weather or high altitudes. The meal weighs 1 pound (500 g) and comes in 12 different entrees.
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