P-38 can opener
|
|
P-38_Can_Opener.jpg
The P-38 'Lightning' is also a WWII-era plane.
The P-38 can opener is a small device found in a C-ration, the army field rations issued by the United States of America from World War II to the 1980s.
Nicknamed the "John Wayne" in some branches of the armed forces, 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.
A similar device is currently employed by the Australian Army in its ration kits. It is known by the acronym "FRED" (Fucking Ridiculous Eating Device)
List of P-38 Uses By Steve Wilson, MSG Proponent NCO, Dept of the Army Office of the Chief of Chaplains, The Pentagon
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)