United States military ration refers to the military rations provided to sustain United States Armed Forces service members, including field rations and garrison rations, and the military nutrition research conducted in relation to military food. U.S. military rations are often made for quick distribution, preparation, and eating in the field and tend to have long storage times in adverse conditions due to being thickly packaged or shelf-stable.
U.S. Air Force airmen serving Unitized Group Rations prepared in a single palletized expeditionary kitchen
An American soldier boiling his rations using rolls of silk to create a cooking fire without smoke, 1917
U.S. Army soldiers eating C-rations during the Italian campaign of World War II, 1943
A U.S. Marine eating an MRE, 2005. This Marine is taking part in "The Crucible" training course, part of which has trainees ration their MREs over a three-day period.
Military chocolate has been a part of standard United States military rations since the original D-ration bar of 1937. Today, military chocolate is issued to troops as part of basic field rations and sundry packs. Chocolate rations served two purposes: as a morale boost, and as a high-energy, pocket-sized emergency ration. Military chocolate rations are often made in special lots to military specifications for weight, size, and endurance. The majority of chocolate issued to US military personnel is produced by The Hershey Company.
D ration bar
Hershey's Tropical bar from World War II