Combat Cooler

I have had this can of Combat Cooler lemon drink since the early 90's.  It was given to me by a friend in the National Guard for my meager can collection at the time.  Unfortunately, all of my other cans from that time have either been thrown away or lost, this is the only one that has survived.  In fact, until today, the can was still full.  I have adopted the practice of emptying all of my cans to prevent any kind of leakage in the future that could cause problems during storage or while on display.

For all these years, I thought it was just a novelty item sold at the PX.  But now I have done some research online to see what the story is behind this drink.  Although information is scarce, I was able to find out a little bit about it.  A 1991 New York magazine article mentions Combat Cooler Corporation was releasing carbonated electrolyte replacers in the form of orange and lemon-lime Thirst Quenchers in camouflage cans.  Bingo!  So this was an actual brand of soft drink.  There is even a Combat Cooler commercial on YouTube.  I also found a pictures of Combat Cooler Cola and Orange.

So although it must have been a relatively obscure product, it was a real brand after all.