Spool

 

It was late September on Peleliu Island, in 1944. The men of U.S. Marine fighter squadron VMF-122 were bored. They were within a 10-minute flight of Japanese-held Palau, but the enemy was cut off from supply lines and posed no real threat. The squadron probably had access to local bananas, limes and pineapple, but other than that, they had only canned food and no refrigeration. Squadron commander J. Hunter Reinburg had an idea he thought might boost morale. He jury-rigged a water-proof can meant to store bullets, loaded it with five gallons of canned milk and cocoa powder, and took it on a high-altitude “oxygen system test.” The result was a really sloppy batch of chocolate ice milk, which the men immediately devoured. They experimented several times until the recipe and method were perfect. Eventually, their C.O. caught wind of their culinary escapades: “You guys aren’t fooling me, I’ve got spies. I’m coming tomorrow and get my ration.”