MRE

[CharlesHarris]

My father served in the ETO during WW2 and complained about the cotton uniforms which were flimsy and cold when wet. The 60-40 cotton/poly ripstop fabric of Vietnam and Desert Storm was little better. At least they break the wind, but when I was in Germany in the 1980s we traded Jack Daniels sour mash for Brit wooly pullys to wear under our M65 field jackets in winter. I was lucky that my CO was from the PNW and allowed us to order Filson Mackinaw vests in forest green to wear on ops and bought a Gaylord box full to equip the battallion. Never was "official" issue but an engineer unit could get away with things which the Brasso and bootblack boys coukd not.