Shelby Co USA

20 P-51 Can Openers Shelby Stainless Steel for Hiking Camping Scout Military USA

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FAST SHIPPING – USUALLY MAILED SAME DAYSale for a 20 pack, US Shelby P-51 Can Opener, all stainless steel includes Great for campers, scouts, hobbiest , day trips, door prizes at VFWs, Legions, veteran organizations. See other listings we sell these from 5 to 500- The P-51 us the larger sized version of the P-38 that was used from WWII through Vietnam for C-Rations and today for hiking, camping, day trips, keep on your key chain, glove box, inside your purse, pack, bag, etc. See last photo, P-51 is at bottom, P-38 on top. The P-51 that came along later has enjoyed similar success.- These are constructed from magnetic stainless steel, not the cheap zinc plated steel imports

20 P-51 Can Openers Shelby Stainless Steel for Hiking Camping Scout Military USA Read More »

P38 & P51 Can Opener 4 Pack Shelby USA f/ Mess Camping Survival Prepper Military

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FREE & FAST SHIP, USUALLY MAILED SAME DAY Sale for includes by Shelby Co US all stainless steel (magnetic) construction- 2 each US Shelby P-38 Can Openers- 2 each US Shelby P-51 Can Openers Great for campers, scouts, hobbiest , door prizes at VFWs, Legions, veteran organizations. See other listings we sell these from 5 to 500- The P38 was used from WWII through Vietnam for C-Rations and today for hiking, camping, day trips, keep on your key chain, glove box, inside your purse, pack, bag, etc. The P51 was a civilian adaption that came along later and has also enjoyed as much success.- These are constructed from magnetic stainless steel, not the cheap zinc plated steel importsThe Greatest Army Invention: History of the P38 (Thank you American Vintage & Surplusyes for permission)Story by Maj. Renita FosterIt was developed in just 30 days in the summer of 1942 by the Subsistence Research Laboratory in Chicago. And never in its history has it been known to break, rust, need sharpening or polishing. Perhaps that is why many soldiers, past and present, regard the P-38 C-ration can opener as the Army’s best invention. C-rations have long since been replaced with the more convenient Meals, Ready to Eat, but the fame of the P-38 persists, thanks to the many uses stemming from the unique blend of ingenuity and creativity all soldiers seem to have. “The P-38 is one of those tools you keep and never want to get rid of,” said Sgt. Scott Kiraly, a military policeman. “I’ve had my P-38 since joining the Army 11 years ago and kept it because I can use it as a screwdriver, knife, anything.” The most vital use of the P-38, however, is the very mission it was designed for, said Fort Monmouth, N.J., garrison commander Col. Paul Baerman. “When we had C-rations, the P-38 was your access to food; that made it the hierarchy of needs,” Baerman said. “Then soldiers discovered it was an extremely simple, lightweight, multipurpose tool. I think in warfare, the simpler something is and the easier access it has, the more you’re going to use it. The P-38 had all of those things going for it.” The tool acquired its name from the 38 punctures required to open a C-ration can, and from the boast that it performed with the speed of the World War II P-38 fighter plane. “Soldiers just took to the P-38 naturally,” said World War II veteran John Bandola. “It was our means for eating 90 percent of the time, but we also used it for cleaning boots and fingernails, as a screwdriver, you name it. We all carried it on our dog tags or key rings.” When Bandola attached his first and only P-38 to his key ring a half century ago, it accompanied him to Anzio, Salerno and through northern Italy. It was with him when World War II ended, and it’s with him now. “This P-38 is a symbol of my life then,” said Bandola. “The Army, the training, my fellow soldiers, all the times we shared during a world war.” Sgt. Ted Paquet, swing shift supervisor in the Fort Monmouth Provost Marshal’s Office, was a 17-year-old seaman serving aboard the amphibious assault ship USS New Orleans during the Vietnam war when he got his first P-38. The ship’s mission was to transport Marines off the coast of Da Nang. On occasional evenings, Marines gathered near Paquet’s duty position on the fantail for simple pleasures like “Cokes, cigarettes, conversation and C-rations.” It was during one of these nightly sessions that Paquet came in contact with the P-38, or “John Wayne” as it’s referred to in the Navy. Paquet still carries his P-38, and he still finds it useful. While driving with his older brother, Paul, their car’s carburetor began to have problems. “There were no tools in the car and, almost simultaneously, both of us reached for P-38s attached to our key rings,” Paquet said with a grin. “We used my P-38 to adjust the flow valve, the car worked perfectly, and we went on our merry way.” Paquet”s P-38 is in a special box with his dog tags, a .50-caliber round from the ship he served on, his Vietnam Service Medal, South Vietnamese money and a surrender leaflet from Operation Desert Storm provided by a nephew. “It will probably be on my dresser until the day I die,” Paquet said. The feelings veterans have for the P-38 aren’t hard to understand, according to 1st Sgt. Steve Wilson of the Chaplain Center and School at Fort Monmouth. “When you hang on to something for 26 years,” he said, “it’s very hard to give it up. That’s why people keep their P-38 just like they do their dog tags. … It means a lot. It’s become part of you. You remember field problems, jumping at 3 a.m. and moving out. A P-38 has you reliving all the adventures that came with soldiering in the armed forces. Yes, the P-38 opened cans, but it did much more. Any soldier will tell you that.” Copied from surplusyesitems since more and more people are putting them in their military & medal displays or their P-38 collections. P-38 collections don’t cost too much and don’t take up much space and they’re a lot of fun finding the hard to get ones. I’ve had the same P-38 on my key-ring ever since my first Boy Scout camping trip when my Scoutmaster gave it to me to open the big cans of peaches for the delicious cobbler he would make over the campfire in a huge cast iron skillet. I can still taste that delicious cobbler as we sat around the campfire before crawling into our sleeping bags. My Scoutmaster was a WWII and Korean War veteran that knew how handy the little P-38s were and he gave one to every new member of the Scout troop on their first camping trip. Recently P-38s have added a new role to their long list of uses. Shelters and organizations that aid the homeless hand them out and also they were included in the humanitarian relief packets dropped into Afghanistan. I’ve also been told they have been handed out here in the USA by relief organizations after natural disasters (hurricanes, tornadoes, storms and floods) for when the power is out and electric can openers no longer work. A P-38 is a lesson in simplicity at it’s best. Copied from surplusyesDon’t you wish everything in life could be as simple and useful as a P-38. List of P-38 Uses By Steve Wilson, MSG Proponent NCO, Dept of the Army Office of the Chief of Chaplains, The Pentagon1. 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 Copied from surplusyes 10. Clean Out Groove on Tupperware lids 11. Reach in and Clean Out Small Cracks 12. Scrape Around Edge of Boots 13. Bottle Opener14. 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. Measurement28. 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

P38 & P51 Can Opener 4 Pack Shelby USA f/ Mess Camping Survival Prepper Military Read More »

New Pack of 5 Original Military Issue P38 Can Opener US Shelby Co. USA Made

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FREE & FAST SHIPPING – USUALLY MAILED SAME DAY 5 Genuine Stainless Steel P38 Can Openers by Shelby Co US, great for campers, scouts, hobbiest , door prizes at VFWs, Legions, veteran organizations. Keep on your key chain, glove box, day pack, boat, RV, purse, very handy to have around see history and uses below.We sell these also in quantities of 5 to 500 also great for militaria, sports show venders, etc. See our other listingsThese are faithful reproductions of the famous P38 used from WWII to Vietnam war to present every day use. Constructed of Stainless Steel (magnetic) versus the cheaper zinc plated imports.The Greatest Army Invention: History of the P38 Story by Maj. Renita FosterIt was developed in just 30 days in the summer of 1942 by the Subsistence Research Laboratory in Chicago. And never in its history has it been known to break, rust, need sharpening or polishing. Perhaps that is why many soldiers, past and present, regard the P-38 C-ration can opener as the Army’s best invention. C-rations have long since been replaced with the more convenient Meals, Ready to Eat, but the fame of the P-38 persists, thanks to the many uses stemming from the unique blend of ingenuity and creativity all soldiers seem to have. “The P-38 is one of those tools you keep and never want to get rid of,” said Sgt. Scott Kiraly, a military policeman. “I’ve had my P-38 since joining the Army 11 years ago and kept it because I can use it as a screwdriver, knife, anything.” The most vital use of the P-38, however, is the very mission it was designed for, said Fort Monmouth, N.J., garrison commander Col. Paul Baerman. “When we had C-rations, the P-38 was your access to food; that made it the hierarchy of needs,” Baerman said. “Then soldiers discovered it was an extremely simple, lightweight, multipurpose tool. I think in warfare, the simpler something is and the easier access it has, the more you’re going to use it. The P-38 had all of those things going for it.” The tool acquired its name from the 38 punctures required to open a C-ration can, and from the boast that it performed with the speed of the World War II P-38 fighter plane. “Soldiers just took to the P-38 naturally,” said World War II veteran John Bandola. “It was our means for eating 90 percent of the time, but we also used it for cleaning boots and fingernails, as a screwdriver, you name it. We all carried it on our dog tags or key rings.” When Bandola attached his first and only P-38 to his key ring a half century ago, it accompanied him to Anzio, Salerno and through northern Italy. It was with him when World War II ended, and it’s with him now. “This P-38 is a symbol of my life then,” said Bandola. “The Army, the training, my fellow soldiers, all the times we shared during a world war.” Sgt. Ted Paquet, swing shift supervisor in the Fort Monmouth Provost Marshal’s Office, was a 17-year-old seaman serving aboard the amphibious assault ship USS New Orleans during the Vietnam war when he got his first P-38. The ship’s mission was to transport Marines off the coast of Da Nang. On occasional evenings, Marines gathered near Paquet’s duty position on the fantail for simple pleasures like “Cokes, cigarettes, conversation and C-rations.” It was during one of these nightly sessions that Paquet came in contact with the P-38, or “John Wayne” as it’s referred to in the Navy. Paquet still carries his P-38, and he still finds it useful. While driving with his older brother, Paul, their car’s carburetor began to have problems. “There were no tools in the car and, almost simultaneously, both of us reached for P-38s attached to our key rings,” Paquet said with a grin. “We used my P-38 to adjust the flow valve, the car worked perfectly, and we went on our merry way.” Paquet”s P-38 is in a special box with his dog tags, a .50-caliber round from the ship he served on, his Vietnam Service Medal, South Vietnamese money and a surrender leaflet from Operation Desert Storm provided by a nephew. “It will probably be on my dresser until the day I die,” Paquet said. The feelings veterans have for the P-38 aren’t hard to understand, according to 1st Sgt. Steve Wilson of the Chaplain Center and School at Fort Monmouth. “When you hang on to something for 26 years,” he said, “it’s very hard to give it up. That’s why people keep their P-38 just like they do their dog tags. … It means a lot. It’s become part of you. You remember field problems, jumping at 3 a.m. and moving out. A P-38 has you reliving all the adventures that came with soldiering in the armed forces. Yes, the P-38 opened cans, but it did much more. Any soldier will tell you that.”copied from surplusyesitems since more and more people are putting them in their military & medal displays or their P-38 collections. P-38 collections don’t cost too much and don’t take up much space and they’re a lot of fun finding the hard to get ones. I’ve had the same P-38 on my key-ring ever since my first Boy Scout camping trip when my Scoutmaster gave it to me to open the big cans of peaches for the delicious cobbler he would make over the campfire in a huge cast iron skillet. I can still taste that delicious cobbler as we sat around the campfire before crawling into our sleeping bags. My Scoutmaster was a WWII and Korean War veteran that knew how handy the little P-38s were and he gave one to every new member of the Scout troop on their first camping trip. Recently P-38s have added a new role to their long list of uses. Shelters and organizations that aid the homeless hand them out and also they were included in the humanitarian relief packets dropped into Afghanistan. I’ve also been told they have been handed out here in the USA by relief organizations after natural disasters (hurricanes, tornadoes, storms and floods) for when the power is out and electric can openers no longer work. A P-38 is a lesson in simplicity at it’s best.Don’t you wish everything in life could be as simple and useful as a P-38. List of P-38 Uses By Steve Wilson, MSG Proponent NCO, Dept of the Army Office of the Chief of Chaplains, The Pentagon1. 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 copied from surplusyes 10. Clean Out Groove on Tupperware lids 11. Reach in and Clean Out Small Cracks 12. Scrape Around Edge of Boots 13. Bottle Opener14. 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 copied from surplusyes 22. Barter 23. Marking Tool 24. Deflating Tires 25. Clean Sole of Boot/Shoe 26. Pick Teeth 27. Measurement28. 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

New Pack of 5 Original Military Issue P38 Can Opener US Shelby Co. USA Made Read More »

20 P-38 P38 Can Opener US Shelby Military Army for Survival Mess Kit Scout USA

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FREE & FAST SHIPPING – USUALLY MAILED SAME DAYGenuine US Shelby P38 Can Openers, 20 each, great for campers, scouts, hobbiest , door prizes at VFWs, Legions, veteran organizations.” See photosThese are magnetic stainless steel. Absolutely not the cheap zinc plated imports. Best of all mailed USPS, usually same day and can be tracked for status of delivery. The P38s come packed in a resealable plastic bag for your convenience, no boxes.See our other listings have these in quantities of 5 to 500 also great for militaria, sports show venders, etc. Thanks to MAJ Renita Foster for the following History of the P38. (Our thanks to American Vintage for permission for story and photos)Story by Maj. Renita FosterIt was developed in just 30 days in the summer of 1942 by the Subsistence Research Laboratory in Chicago. And never in its history has it been known to break, rust, need sharpening or polishing. Perhaps that is why many soldiers, past and present, regard the P-38 C-ration can opener as the Army’s best invention. C-rations have long since been replaced with the more convenient Meals, Ready to Eat, but the fame of the P-38 persists, thanks to the many uses stemming from the unique blend of ingenuity and creativity all soldiers seem to have. “The P-38 is one of those tools you keep and never want to get rid of,” said Sgt. Scott Kiraly, a military policeman. “I’ve had my P-38 since joining the Army 11 years ago and kept it because I can use it as a screwdriver, knife, anything.” The most vital use of the P-38, however, is the very mission it was designed for, said Fort Monmouth, N.J., garrison commander Col. Paul Baerman. “When we had C-rations, the P-38 was your access to food; that made it the hierarchy of needs,” Baerman said. “Then soldiers discovered it was an extremely simple, lightweight, multipurpose tool. I think in warfare, the simpler something is and the easier access it has, the more you’re going to use it. The P-38 had all of those things going for it.” The tool acquired its name from the 38 punctures required to open a C-ration can, and from the boast that it performed with the speed of the World War II P-38 fighter plane. “Soldiers just took to the P-38 naturally,” said World War II veteran John Bandola. “It was our means for eating 90 percent of the time, but we also used it for cleaning boots and fingernails, as a screwdriver, you name it. We all carried it on our dog tags or key rings.” When Bandola attached his first and only P-38 to his key ring a half century ago, it accompanied him to Anzio, Salerno and through northern Italy. It was with him when World War II ended, and it’s with him now. “This P-38 is a symbol of my life then,” said Bandola. “The Army, the training, my fellow soldiers, all the times we shared during a world war.” Sgt. Ted Paquet, swing shift supervisor in the Fort Monmouth Provost Marshal’s Office, was a 17-year-old seaman serving aboard the amphibious assault ship USS New Orleans during the Vietnam war when he got his first P-38. The ship’s mission was to transport Marines off the coast of Da Nang. On occasional evenings, Marines gathered near Paquet’s duty position on the fantail for simple pleasures like “Cokes, cigarettes, conversation and C-rations.” It was during one of these nightly sessions that Paquet came in contact with the P-38, or “John Wayne” as it’s referred to in the Navy. Paquet still carries his P-38, and he still finds it useful. While driving with his older brother, Paul, their car’s carburetor began to have problems. “There were no tools in the car and, almost simultaneously, both of us reached for P-38s attached to our key rings,” Paquet said with a grin. “We used my P-38 to adjust the flow valve, the car worked perfectly, and we went on our merry way.” Paquet”s P-38 is in a special box with his dog tags, a .50-caliber round from the ship he served on, his Vietnam Service Medal, South Vietnamese money and a surrender leaflet from Operation Desert Storm provided by a nephew. “It will probably be on my dresser until the day I die,” Paquet said. The feelings veterans have for the P-38 aren’t hard to understand, according to 1st Sgt. Steve Wilson of the Chaplain Center and School at Fort Monmouth. “When you hang on to something for 26 years,” he said, “it’s very hard to give it up. That’s why people keep their P-38 just like they do their dog tags. … It means a lot. It’s become part of you. You remember field problems, jumping at 3 a.m. and moving out. A P-38 has you reliving all the adventures that came with soldiering in the armed forces. Yes, the P-38 opened cans, but it did much more. Any soldier will tell you that.”items since more and more people are putting them in their military & medal displays or their P-38 collections. P-38 collections don’t cost too much and don’t take up much space and they’re a lot of fun finding the hard to get ones. I’ve had the same P-38 on my key-ring ever since my first Boy Scout camping trip when my Scoutmaster gave it to me to open the big cans of peaches for the delicious cobbler he would make over the campfire in a huge cast iron skillet. I can still taste that delicious cobbler as we sat around the campfire before crawling into our sleeping bags. My Scoutmaster was a WWII and Korean War veteran that knew how handy the little P-38s were and he gave one to every new member of the Scout troop on their first camping trip. Recently P-38s have added a new role to their long list of uses. Shelters and organizations that aid the homeless hand them out and also they were included in the humanitarian relief packets dropped into Afghanistan. I’ve also been told they have been handed out here in the USA by relief organizations after natural disasters (hurricanes, tornadoes, storms and floods) for when the power is out and electric can openers no longer work. A P-38 is a lesson in simplicity at it’s best. taken from surplus yes listingDon’t you wish everything in life could be as simple and useful as a P-38. List of P-38 Uses By Steve Wilson, MSG Proponent NCO, Dept of the Army Office of the Chief of Chaplains, The Pentagon1. Can Opener 2. Seam Ripper 3. Screwdriver taken from surplus yes listing 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 Opener14. Gut Fish (in the field) 15. Scale Fish (in the field) 16. Test for ‘Doneness’ When Baking on a Camp Fire 17. Prying Items taken from surplusyes listing 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. Measurement28. Striking Flint 29. Stirring Coffee copied from surplus yes 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

20 P-38 P38 Can Opener US Shelby Military Army for Survival Mess Kit Scout USA Read More »

3 Pack Shelby USA P-38 Can Openers Army Tool Military Camping Hiking Survival

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3 Pack P-38 Shelby Can Openers w/Chains USA Military Camping Hiking Survival About this item: The package includes 3 pieces of Shelby military can openers. Each one comes with an adjustable stainless steel bead chain. Embossed with Shelby Co. & made in the USA. The 3 stainless steel bead chains are approximately 4.75″ long. P-51 Can Opener History and Information OPENER, CAN, HAND, FOLDING, TYPE II P-51 CAN OPENER “John Wayne” The P-51 can opener is the “big” brother of the P-38 can opener. Many an”expert”, has espoused as”fact”that the government never issued a P-51 can opener and that the P-51 was some aftermarket creation of the manufacturer to sell more can openers. To dispel any confusion and to set the record straight about the P-51 can opener -the P-51isin fact an official Government Issue item. The P-51 was conceived, designed and produced shortly after the introduction of the P-38 can opener. The P-51 can opener is still in the military inventory and is currently assigned NSN 7330-01-289-8827. The P-51 is somewhat obscure and elusive because military Mobile Kitchen Trailers (MKT) are currently issued a counter top mounted, hand crank, rotary, can opener and a Opener, Can, Hand, For Tray Packs and Round Cans (A-A-52202) as standard issue. This can opener was designed to open larger cans such a commercial No.10 institutional food can with a lid diameter of 6-3/16 inches and food tray packs and T-Rats that are used in Mobile Field Kitchens (MKT) and mess halls. Much like the P-38 can opener, the P-51 derived it’s name from the fact that it took approximately 51 twists to sever the lid from a commercial No. 10 can. (Above Credit: DogTagsRus dot com and Georgia-Outfitters where more information can be found.) (Below Credit: Defense Media Network dot com, Article on Sept. 16, 2023 by Robert F. Dorr and Fred L. Borch entitled “The P-38 Pocket Can Opener Was an Army and Marine Icon.) Here’s one for you! Although Opener, Can, Hand, Folding is its official Army nomenclature, it soon acquired the popular name P-38.However, historians disagree as to which of three theories explains the moniker. One is that soldiers called it the P-38 because it could open a can faster than theP-38 Lightningfighter plane could fly. A more likely explanation is that the 38 comes from the length of the can opener, which is 38 millimeters (or 1 1/2 inches). It also is possible that 38 was the number of punches (a P word) it took to open a ration can. All experts agree that P-38 did not derive its name from theWalther P-38pistol used by the German military in World War II. 43 Uses for the P-38 & P-51 Can Openers can opener (duh!) all-purpose toothpick fingernail cleaner splinter remover flat-head screwdriver use one of the ends phillips-head screwdriver use one of the corners bottle opener box cutter letter opener chisel stirrer neck slasher (women used to carry to use in case of attack) seam ripper cut fishing line open paint cans window scraper scrape around floor corners digging clean out groove on Tupperware lids reach in and clean out small cracks scrape around edge of boots {in the field} gut fish {in the field} scale fish test for doneness when baking on a camp fire prying items strip wire scrape pans in the field lift key on flip top cans barter marking tool deflating tires measurement striking flint puncturing plastic coating knocking on doors Morse Code write emergency messages scratch an itch save as a souvenir rip off rank for on the spot promotion carburetor repair tool bee sting removal tool (scrape off w/ blade) knife sharpener Ships in one day or less

3 Pack Shelby USA P-38 Can Openers Army Tool Military Camping Hiking Survival Read More »

P-38 Can Opener Shelby 20 pack for Mess Kit Survival Camping Prepper Disaster US

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Sale for a 20 pack US Shelby Co P-38 Can Openers, all stainless steel includes Great for campers, scouts, hobbiest , door prizes at VFWs, Legions, veteran organizations. See other listings we also sell these from 5 to 500- The P38 was used from WWII through Vietnam for C-Rations and today for hiking, camping, day trips, keep on your key chain, glove box, inside your purse, pack, bag, etc. – These are current production, constructed from magnetic stainless steel, just like those in WWII and later. – Absolutely not the cheap zinc plated steel imports that are stamped “Mil-J-0837

P-38 Can Opener Shelby 20 pack for Mess Kit Survival Camping Prepper Disaster US Read More »

5 Pack Military Army P38 P-38 Can Opener Shelby Co USA for Camping Scout Hiking

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FREE & FAST SHIPPING, USUALLY MAILED SAME DAY You get 5 (five) of these Stainless Steel P38 Can Openers, with U.S. Shelby Co stamped on front, great for campers, scouts, hobbiest , door prizes at VFWs, Legions, veteran organizations. These are the US Stainless steel not the cheaper zinc plated imports. Magnetic Stainless steel alloy, corrosion resistant. See our other listings. Excerpt of the P38 belowThe Greatest Army Invention: History of the P38 Story by Maj. Renita FosterIt was developed in just 30 days in the summer of 1942 by the Subsistence Research Laboratory in Chicago. And never in its history has it been known to break, rust, need sharpening or polishing. Perhaps that is why many soldiers, past and present, regard the P-38 C-ration can opener as the Army’s best invention. C-rations have long since been replaced with the more convenient Meals, Ready to Eat, but the fame of the P-38 persists, thanks to the many uses stemming from the unique blend of ingenuity and creativity all soldiers seem to have. “The P-38 is one of those tools you keep and never want to get rid of,” said Sgt. Scott Kiraly, a military policeman. “I’ve had my P-38 since joining the Army 11 years ago and kept it because I can use it as a screwdriver, knife, anything.” The most vital use of the P-38, however, is the very mission it was designed for, said Fort Monmouth, N.J., garrison commander Col. Paul Baerman. “When we had C-rations, the P-38 was your access to food; that made it the hierarchy of needs,” Baerman said. “Then soldiers discovered it was an extremely simple, lightweight, multipurpose tool. I think in warfare, the simpler something is and the easier access it has, the more you’re going to use it. The P-38 had all of those things going for it.” The tool acquired its name from the 38 punctures required to open a C-ration can, and from the boast that it performed with the speed of the World War II P-38 fighter plane. “Soldiers just took to the P-38 naturally,” said World War II veteran John Bandola. “It was our means for eating 90 percent of the time, but we also used it for cleaning boots and fingernails, as a screwdriver, you name it. We all carried it on our dog tags or key rings.” When Bandola attached his first and only P-38 to his key ring a half century ago, it accompanied him to Anzio, Salerno and through northern Italy. It was with him when World War II ended, and it’s with him now. “This P-38 is a symbol of my life then,” said Bandola. “The Army, the training, my fellow soldiers, all the times we shared during a world war.” Sgt. Ted Paquet, swing shift supervisor in the Fort Monmouth Provost Marshal’s Office, was a 17-year-old seaman serving aboard the amphibious assault ship USS New Orleans during the Vietnam war when he got his first P-38. The ship’s mission was to transport Marines off the coast of Da Nang. On occasional evenings, Marines gathered near Paquet’s duty position on the fantail for simple pleasures like “Cokes, cigarettes, conversation and C-rations.” It was during one of these nightly sessions that Paquet came in contact with the P-38, or “John Wayne” as it’s referred to in the Navy. Paquet still carries his P-38, and he still finds it useful. While driving with his older brother, Paul, their car’s carburetor began to have problems. “There were no tools in the car and, almost simultaneously, both of us reached for P-38s attached to our key rings,” Paquet said with a grin. “We used my P-38 to adjust the flow valve, the car worked perfectly, and we went on our merry way.” Paquet”s P-38 is in a special box with his dog tags, a .50-caliber round from the ship he served on, his Vietnam Service Medal, South Vietnamese money and a surrender leaflet from Operation Desert Storm provided by a nephew. “It will probably be on my dresser until the day I die,” Paquet said. The feelings veterans have for the P-38 aren’t hard to understand, according to 1st Sgt. Steve Wilson of the Chaplain Center and School at Fort Monmouth. “When you hang on to something for 26 years,” he said, “it’s very hard to give it up. That’s why people keep their P-38 just like they do their dog tags. … It means a lot. It’s become part of you. You remember field problems, jumping at 3 a.m. and moving out. A P-38 has you reliving all the adventures that came with soldiering in the armed forces. Yes, the P-38 opened cans, but it did much more. Any soldier will tell you that.”items since more and more people are putting them in their military & medal displays or their P-38 collections. P-38 collections don’t cost too much and don’t take up much space and they’re a lot of fun finding the hard to get ones. I’ve had the same P-38 on my key-ring ever since my first Boy Scout camping trip when my Scoutmaster gave it to me to open the big cans of peaches for the delicious cobbler he would make over the campfire in a huge cast iron skillet. I can still taste that delicious cobbler as we sat around the campfire before crawling into our sleeping bags. My Scoutmaster was a WWII and Korean War veteran that knew how handy the little P-38s were and he gave one to every new member of the Scout troop on their first camping trip. Recently P-38s have added a new role to their long list of uses. Shelters and organizations that aid the homeless hand them out and also they were included in the humanitarian relief packets dropped into Afghanistan. I’ve also been told they have been handed out here in the USA by relief organizations after natural disasters (hurricanes, tornadoes, storms and floods) for when the power is out and electric can openers no longer work. A P-38 is a lesson in simplicity at it’s best. copied from jack flak 6Don’t you wish everything in life could be as simple and useful as a P-38. List of P-38 Uses By Steve Wilson, MSG Proponent NCO, Dept of the Army Office of the Chief of Chaplains, The Pentagon1. 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 Opener14. 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 copied from jack flak 6 22. Barter 23. Marking Tool 24. Deflating Tires 25. Clean Sole of Boot/Shoe 26. Pick Teeth 27. Measurement28. 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 copied from jack flak 6 37. Save as a Souvenir 38. Rip Off Rank for On-the-Spot Promotions See our other auctions, will combine shipping to save mailing costs Best of all shipped FAST, usually same day via USPS . Stored in a Pet and Smoke Free home.

5 Pack Military Army P38 P-38 Can Opener Shelby Co USA for Camping Scout Hiking Read More »