Italian and American soldiers swap rations

Every army in NATO has its own field ration, commonly known as MREs (mealsreadytoeat). While perhaps not the height of culinary expression, these rations give soldiers the calories they need to power through a hard day in the field. From Ally to Ally, their contents differ in small, interesting ways. Watch a US and Italian paratrooper swap their ration packs while on exercise in Italy. From warm pizza in a packet to ravioli in a can and toothbrushes, these soldiers may be from different continents but they find common ground in condiments. Filmed during joint airborne operations, about 800 paratroopers from the US Armys 173rd Airborne Brigade, the Italian Armys 4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment and the German Armys 26th Airborne Regiment performed several jumps over a drop zone in northern Italy. Drop Zone Juliet, Pordenone province, Italy For more MRE swaps: