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P-38 can opener

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Vietnam-era P-38
P-51 and P-38 openers
The P-38 'Lightning' is also a WWII-era plane. The Walther P 38 is a WWII-era pistol.

The P-38 can opener is a small device found in a C-ration, the canned field rations issued in the United States Armed Forces from World War II to the 1980s.

Nicknamed the "John Wayne" for its rugged reliability, the can opener is keychain sized and consists of a short metal blade that serves as a handle (and also a screwdriver to the resourceful), with a small, hinged metal tooth that folds out to pierce the can lid. A notch just under the hinge point keeps the opener hooked around the rim of the can as the device is "walked" around to cut the lid out. A larger version called the P-51 is somewhat easier to operate.

Official military designations for the P-38 include 'US ARMY POCKET CAN OPENER' and 'OPENER, CAN, HAND, FOLDING, TYPE I'. As with some other military terms (e.g. Origin of the term 'jeep'), the reasons for the 'P-38' designation are not clear. One claim is that, used properly, it requires exactly 38 punches of the blade to open a C-ration can. Alternatively, the name could allude to the fast performance of the P-38 'Lightning' fighter plane.

P-38s are no longer used for individual rations by the United States Armed Forces as canned C-rations were replaced by uncanned MREs in the 1980s. They are, however, included with US military "Tray Rations" (canned bulk meals), and are also still seen in disaster recovery efforts and have been handed out alongside canned food by rescue organizations both in America and abroad in Afghanistan. The original US contract P-38 can openers were manufactured by Mallin Hardware (now defunct) of Shelby, Ohio and are stamped "US Mallin Shelby O.".

A similar device that incorporates a small spoon at one end and a Can opener at the other is currently employed by the Australian Army and New Zealand Army in its ration kits. It is known by the acronym "FRED" (Field Ration Eating Device). It is also known widely in its derogative term, the "Fucking Ridiculous Eating Device".

The advantages of a P-38 include:

  • cheaper to manufacture than a standard can opener
  • smaller and lighter to carry
  • faster than a normal can opener if the user has sufficient experience

The device can be easily attached to a key ring or dog tag chain using the small punched hole.

Creative uses

List of P-38 Uses By Steve Wilson, MSG Proponent NCO, Dept of the Army Office of the Chief of Chaplains, The Pentagon [1]

  1. Can Opener
  2. Seam Ripper
  3. Screwdriver
  4. Clean Fingernails
  5. Cut Fishing Line
  6. Open Paint Cans
  7. Window Scraper
  8. Scrape Around Floor Corners
  9. Digging
  10. Clean Out Groove on Tupperware lids
  11. Reach in and Clean Out Small Cracks
  12. Scrape Around Edge of Boots
  13. Bottle Opener
  14. Gut Fish (in the field)
  15. Scale Fish (in the field)
  16. Test for 'Doneness' When Baking on a Camp Fire
  17. Prying Items
  18. Strip Wire
  19. Scrape Pans in the Field
  20. Lift Key on Flip Top Cans
  21. Chisel
  22. Barter
  23. Marking Tool
  24. Deflating Tires
  25. Clean Sole of Boot/Shoe
  26. Pick Teeth
  27. Measurement
  28. Striking Flint
  29. Stirring Coffee
  30. Puncturing Plastic Coating
  31. Knocking on Doors
  32. Morse Code
  33. Box Cutter
  34. Opening Letters
  35. Write Emergency Messages
  36. Scratch an Itch
  37. Save as a Souvenir
  38. Rip Off Rank for On-the-Spot Promotions
  39. Bee sting removal tool (scrape off w/ blade)
  40. Knife sharpener
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