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Charms

Charms

Does anyone really know why we weren’t aloud to eat the charms from what seemed like decades old MRE’s in boot camp? I vividly remember a night in boot camp on Camp Pendleton. We had just given our nightly report and were in our shelter halves. My good friend and I started enjoying our evening ritual of crCking open a few pieces of charms candy when to our surprise the shelter half was ripped open by the meanest drill instructor to roam the earth. We got yelled at for about 15 minutes straight then he left. We innocently thought that was the end of it but as soon as day-light cracked over the mountains the whole platoon was marching up and down Mt. Mother until we couldn’t stand. I didn’t eat another charm in boot camp and had real reservation when I got to the fleet.
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Comments

Erv Paulson - May 4, 2020

I was at Pendleton in 1966 and again in 67 for ITR…we had C rats on overnight stuff…I remember the first one, I said to my buddy in the fox hole ‘what a bitch, this was mfg before I was born’…1945 was the date. Cans of what I can’t remember any longer and a 4 pack of smokes also a small tape of toilet paper. The smokes lasted for about one draw and burned up so fast, prolly had some of the toilet paper in them maybe?? Ah, the memories !

Harry - May 4, 2020

In reply to The Deuce.
The only person I recall calling ITR bootcamp was my Mom! Never had an MRE.EVER!! If I remember correctly,some of the C’s had “Chicklets ” hard to chew,just ate it like candy Harry ( I almost gave this guy a pass but my gut calls BS)

J Macon - May 4, 2020

In reply to L. Ortiz.
Went through PI in 1965 and Nam 66-67 a field radio operator, ate a lot of c rations and yes they did have Charms in those boxes.Retired in 2002 MGySgt

Sgt. C. Jones - May 4, 2020

I wasn’t allowed to talk aloud in boot camp.

Mom of a Marine - May 4, 2020

In reply to L. Ortiz.
Note there is no date attached to this tale. His description doesn’t sound like any boot camp experience I have ever heard about either.

L. Ortiz - May 4, 2020

Sounds like another “wannabe” to me with a made up story. I ate C-Rats for 12 plus months in the Nam and never had “Charms” or any other kind of candy in a C-Rat pack. Don’t these guys who post these fairy tales know that real Marines will call them out on this crap????

Gunny48 - May 4, 2020

In reply to C. Stoney Brook.
Them weren’t grits….they was sawdust. Dang boot! (LOL. Loved your comment. Semper fidelis)

C. Stoney Brook - May 4, 2020

In reply to Richard Townsend.
Heck, Richard, the rations we had were salt pork, hardtack and hominy grits, in containers dated 11 Nov 1775.

C. Stoney Brook - May 4, 2020

If MREs were “decades old” when you went through Boot Camp/ITR, you’re sooo ‘boot’ you shouldn’t even be allowed to call yourself “Old Corps” … If your rations didn’t come in cans with a John Wayne / P38 opener, you’re a Boot for Life. I went through MCRD San Diego, graduating 7 Dec 61, and still don’t think of myself as ‘Salty’ …

Sgt. Eric Tipton - May 4, 2020

I ate a lot of C-rats in Nam but don’t recall any charms in any of them. I might have gotten some lifesavers (multi flavor or spearment) in some but that could have been from another source. It’s been almost 50 years.

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