How did people use c-4 during the Vietnam war?

Answer 1

In the Vietnam War, it was a plastic explosive used to get rid of unwanted ordnance (destruction of duds and bad explosives, ammunition, etc.). However, unofficially, and heavily discouraged by the US Army, nearly every single GI in the field used it to cook their C rations with. And every GI knew not to put it out by stomping on it, he'd lose his foot to an explosion if he did that. C4 could cook your C rat can of beef slices with pototoes and gravy within about 120 seconds, and probably less time. The Army began issuing "heat tabs" (heat tablets) to replace the heavy uses of C4 for cooking, by saying C4 was too expensive for that purpose, which it probably was, however, the more important reason was most likely that C4 could cause death & injury if it went off.

In contrast to the C4, the heat tablet took forever to light, could ONLY be lit by a direct flame, and could not be used inside a tank or tent or other enclosed structure as it let out a gas that heavily burned your eyes and lungs. The flame was also of a very low intensity and it took many minutes to cook a can of C rats, when C4 could do it within seconds, even within the turret of a tank (but not even tank crewmen liked using C4 inside an enclosure).