Criticisms
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. However, the water sources in Vietnam were usually teeming with parasites (e.g., blood flukes and tapeworms) and viruses, so the water had to be boiled or mixed with Iodine pills, the latter leaving a particularly odd taste in a ration. Fresh water could also be collected from rainwater if one was fortunate enough, or in an emergency, a LRP ration could be consumed 'dry', but the soldier doing so had to consume extra water to prevent dehydration. Some soldiers mixed its contents with canned C-Rations to reduce monotony and to supply extra dietary energy, as the ration was insufficient for an active soldier. However, this defeated the purpose of deploying the LRP ration in the first place.
Read more about this topic: LRP Ration
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