Posted on 07/02/2004 6:46:41 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952
Like they say about the mail: Neither rain, nor sleet, nor sand . . .
You can imagine Joe Huff's and Aloma Adams' surprise when they got a note in the mail several weeks ago from their son, Tony, 20, a U.S. Marine who is stationed in Iraq — written on part of an MRE combat food ration box.
MRE stands for Meals Ready to Eat, though some folks joke that it stands for Meals Refused by Ethiopians. The field rations aren't making anybody's list of fine cuisine to be featured in Gourmet magazine. But the box sure works good for stationery.
"I couldn't believe it went through, honestly," said Joe, of Leander. "I'd heard they had free postage, but I didn't know you could send mail on this sort of thing."
If you're in the military, and you're in a combat zone, you can send a letter written on an MRE box free of charge, as long as you write "free" in the upper-right-hand corner where the stamp would go.
And now for this quick dining review: "If you're hungry, it's better than eating a bug, I guess," said Vicki Anderson, who works for a Gonzales company called KI4U Inc. that sells MREs online. She says they'll last 10 years if kept in a cool place. So will upholstery stuffing.
Joe says the Al Asad air base, where his son Tony is stationed, 100 miles west of Baghdad, is not a cool place. He said Tony reported a sandstorm that raised the temperature to 115 degrees — after dark.
For his postcard, Marine Lance Cpl. Tony Huff selected a piece of brown cardboard torn off a box for an MRE entree called Beef Enchilada in Sauce.
The list of preservatives on one side of the box is actually longer than the letter on the other side.
"Hey Fam, what's up," Tony wrote. "Not too much going on out here. Weather is getting hot. Still in good health. Can't wait to get back to the States . . . I heard this works as a post card so I thought I would give it a try. How's work? Soccer? Talk to ya soon. Sorry about the chicken scratch.
"Love, Tony."
Joe says Tony decided to write to his parents on an MRE box because he'd heard that in World War II soldiers wrote home on C ration containers. And he wanted to see if it would still work.
I tried one of these MREs, thanks to Capt. Karl Schumacher, reserve site commander of Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines at Camp Mabry. He gave me a couple to sample, among them frankfurters and beans.
I didn't feel guilty about taking Schumacher's MREs because he didn't seem emotionally attached to them.
"I have an aversion to eating them because I ate them for the entire eight months I was over there," he said, speaking of the Gulf War.
If you cut up the frankfurters and put colored toothpicks in them, you could serve them on fine china as horse doovers at Laguna Gloria. Or not.
Joe says Tony isn't all that fond of MREs, either.
"When he first got over there, he said he kept getting the same four MREs," Joe said. "It was almost tough to eat because he kept getting the same four for a long, long time. I think there are 11 or 12 (kinds)."
"The worst one has got to be pork chop and Jamaican sauce," Anderson said.
"He did mention that one as a pitiful one," Joe said.
Maybe next time Tony writes his parents he should send the MRE container with the pork chop still in it.
John Kelso's column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
GI Ingenuity knows no bounds. Bless those guys over there.
No kidding. GI ingenuity ping!
This is nothing new. I still have a few 'postcards' from the first Gulf War written on MRE boxes that my friend sent me.
GI Bump!!!!!!!
I have some sent home by our son from Northern Iraq (Operation Provide Comfort, 82nd Airborne) also!
You are right, this is nothing new, except to parents who are new to having loved ones "over there".
A buddy sent me a OD tee shirt from S. Viet Nam, folded and held together with heavy staples. He printed the address with magic marker.
Hey! I've got an apron that looks just like the one that guy is wearing! I use it when I'm painting in the house! Looks like he's used his for a similar purpose!
My brother sent my son a coconut with just our address and the meter stamp on the outside...not just a little coconut like you see in the store...the big thing that comes off the tree!
He was in Puerto Rico at the time.
I'd love to get a letter on an MRE! What a keepsake! Look at those proud parents!
That's cool! Hope it tasted good. I think we should tell everyone about the wonders of Taco Bell sauce for the MREs. I put some in Christmas box for my daughter's adopted soldier. He liked it just as much as the Hobbit Holers' soldiers did.
Military mail ping
Apparently, this soldier is too young to remember the days of "Ham and Chicken Loaf".
Recycling cardboard! EPA approved.
The MRE box is similar in size to the JUMBO version postcards you can buy and send..
Regular Size Postcard
Trim Size: 5.6" x 4.25"
http://www.expresscopy.com/images/layout_std_postcard_nonblee.gif
Jumbo Size Postcard
Trim Size: 8.5" x 5.5"
http://www.expresscopy.com/images/layout_jumbo_postcard_nonbl.gif
I send quite a few postcards to the troops over in Iraq and Afghanistan.
My brother sent me an MRE postcard from Iraq a few months ago, I got a good laugh out of it but I didn't think it was news! Looks like I missed my 15 minutes of fame.
I know what You mean.
I send something important and the dopes at the usps lose it, but if I ship a box of rocks to Siberia 3rd class it is there the next day.
Still waiting for them to bring Me an envelope from 3+ weeks ago.
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