If there’s one thing military personnel are taught from their time in service, it’s to improvise, adapt, and overcome. This mentality keeps our troops flexible and inventive in the absence of modern comforts. But for all their ingenuity, the following five military hacks have no place outside of the military.
1. The “everything” sandwich.
Troops are fast eaters because it’s a habit formed out of necessity. Whether it’s being allotted a few minutes in boot camp to process divisions through the chow hall or out in the fleet with a few minutes between a hectic schedule, troops eat with urgency.
Some troops save time by putting everything on their plate between two pieces of bread to make an everything sandwich. Hey, it’s all going to the same place anyway.
2. Cooking with C4.
During the Vietnam War, troops would use C4 explosives to heat their C-rations. In fact, C4 is almost harmless without the detonator; you can shoot it, cut it, and light it on fire without it exploding. This was even demonstrated by the guys on “Mythbusters.” Although warm meals are nice, troops in Vietnam still ate their food cold after sunset to avoid being spotted.
3. Filling a mop bucket with a dust pan.
Deck sailors do a lot of swabbing (mopping) but have few options to fill up their water buckets. In most cases, they use a shower head, but in situations where one isn’t available – such as on decks without living quarters – they improvise by using a dustpan to direct water into a bucket.
4. Going “Commando”
Going without underwear is erotic and sexually stimulating to some people, while it’s considered immodest and socially unacceptable to others. Grunts, on the other hand, go without underwear for practical reasons; to increase ventilation and reduce moisture in the crotch area.
They also go through long periods of time without being able to do their laundry.
5. Using condoms to protect equipment.
While condoms were invented to prevent pregnancies and STDs, service members also use them to protect equipment. Grunts use condoms to prevent rifle barrels from clogging, and flight deck sailors use them to make their radio microphones waterproof.