Hi all
I'm working on a little Vietnam-vignette and I was wondering if the Americans had the luxury of toiletpaper in their outhouses (or did they use something different?). My vignette will depict a small outhouse at a fire support base and I wonder if it is right to add some toiletpaper.

Thanks in advance for any help

Mark

i think they had paper

Nah they used localy pinapples..... :-)
Yeah mate, i know the Aussies and New Zealanders had toilet paper, so i'm pretty sure our Yankee brothers wouldve as well.
Cheers

Mark, they had "Coke Cola" everywhere so I don't think you would be wrong putting toilet paper in your dio.

I was not there, but I would say during the late sixties toiletpaper was a standard issue in military.
Also I recall toiletpaper in that scene from 'Casualties of War' where they tried to blow up Michael J. Fox in a Nam US Base toiletbuilding...

Paul

Yes, except for Animal, he used sandpaper..... :-) :-) :-)

I can say, with all certainty, there was TP. I've actually stumbled across photos and actual dated cartons from the era. These were hot commodities, so there was usually things designed to protect them from the environment like large food cans to protect them from moisture and insects. Either FM 21-10 or FM 21-20 is the Army field sanitation manual. Find an older one and you'll get some clever field latrine ideas.

Very funny old man. Of course we had toilet paper in Nam. We just were not allowed to ues it WE some times had more paper than bulletts.

The 'basic issue' TP was included in the c-rats packet along with the 4-pack cigs, matches etc.

YES.... though we imported corncobs for those who wanted to rough it.

Neill

and I pretty sure it was at least 60 grit...

well they issued Toilet paper during WWII to US soldiers so probably in Vietnam it didn't change

.....the Americans even had toilet paper in their C-Rations, inside the brown packet that came with the meal.....so did the Aussies in our rat packs. The US C-Rations were per meal, whereas the Aussie rat packs were designed to be consumed in a day, or three days if absolutely necessary.

.....imagine how quickly you could run out of toilet paper in the field when the diarrhoea hit!.....

?!!!....yes, they had



Reference pics are always important!

(ps...they had also Wc seats...

We had paper in our C rats, we still had Vietnam era equipment stationed (in 1981) in Germany. But standard issue to take a dump at a base camp was a cigarette, paper and something to read optional.

The paper in the C rats was like sandpaper.

Whereas I remember Brit issue paper was so smooth it polished instead of shifted....................

You had to clean under your finger nails. One cig paper was all you got.

Yes, we had toilet paper. We were pretty well supplied in the main firebases and sometimes we had our folks mail us rolls as supply often ran out (the NCOs always had it and I am sure the officers also).
I once had a buddy throw a grenade at another guy for stealing half a roll. He wasn't hurt but it was scary as there were several of us nearby. Soggy toilet paper is better than no TP. Newspapers came in handy when supply drops couldn't get in to us.
Ironmike

I was most scared when doing one of 2 things on a firebase. Using the latrine,I just knew when I sat we would get mortared or attacked and when one of the few showers ,I knew when I was naked covered in soap/shampoo we would get rocketed or worse. decisions , clan up/finish or man the guns!
Yes we had tp both from C rats in the field or rolls on firebase latrine.

Once when I was tdy to the Bde base camp /very civilized/ they even had brand new seats(someone sent them from the states/ we couldn't figure out who was putting muddy footprints on the white toilet sets. Finally discovered that some of the Vietnamese support people.civilians/used the latrine and squatted their feet on the seats,We educated them!

An interesting variation on 'winning their hearts and minds'.

In the field, you used the TP out of the C Rats. Usually, you kept that and your matches in the camouflage retaining band that went around your helmet. I do not think the Marines had the retaining bands, so let your imagination run wild with their procedures. Also, we carried entrenching tools to cover the do-do. Now, on Monday, you took a big orange anti malaria pill that pretty well used up a great deal of your TP stock. We usually (1st Cav) received a re supply every four day so each guy carried the equivalent of one case of C Rats along with a god awful amount of water. When you went to the fire base, you have the luxury of the community sitters. Ah, the fond memories!

Ahh you forgot the white pill? We were Guinea pigs? But thank heavens we were in the rubber, no agent range just Rome Plows,Rome Plows might be a diorama there??

They (the plows) certainly were impressive. Of course one can never forget the dirt kicked up by a CH 54 carrying one of your 105;s around the berm into position....thanks for the redleg dirt bath

Thank GOD for baby wipes... that is all !! LOL

Actually I had a friend tell me a humourous story about military TP usage... said take 4 pieces, lay them on top of each other, and tear one corner off.... anyone know what the corner was for????

Fingernails. It's a joke about Marines. Here is a true one. I had a battery of 105s in The 1st Cav. Sometimes supply sucked. I had gun solvent,gun oil but no rags to clean the tubes. I got permission to take a Huey down to Long Binh to get paperwork, and supplies. No one had rags. I went to the PX and bought as much Tampax as they had,maybe 10 or 15 large packages. Loaded and went bac to the Fire base. Small one in jungle inf co and my 6 guns.

Few weeks later the MPs and a couple of CID types landed and wanted to see the BC. Btry Co. me. They were investigating my possible black market activities, buying tampax and selling to locals for profit or favors. Anyway the 1sgt and I took the to one of the guns, You take 2 tampax wrap them in your hands dip in gun oil and swab the tube. Then ball them up .they hold a lot of liquid and you use the ram to do the whole barrel. I was cleared lol. supply still sucked but I didn't do the buying again.