Imnaha Stamps website back at www.imnahastamps.net

Long story short, I had problems renewing the domain name for my web site, so I registered www.imnahastamps.NET instead. I haven't made updates in a while, but it gets a decent amount of traffic, so I figured it was worthwhile keeping it up and running.

Some things to check out if you aren't familiar with it:

1. Definitive KBC number list
2. Examples of military insignia on covers
3. Unit-specific military cover articles (VNN, VNAF, Airborne)
4. ARVN military IDs and certificates
5. Comprehensive Viet-Minh overprints sub-site

Enjoy! (don't forget to update your bookmark)

Vietnam Studies Monograph / Havre De Grace Bookstore

Driving home from NAPEX, I stopped in Havre De Grace, Maryland for lunch and discovered a terrific bookstore, Washington Street Books & Music. They have one of the best selections of military history books I have found anywhere, not to mention games, role playing books, comics, music, dvds and an excellent selection of science fiction - all of which are right up my alley. I definitely recommend checking it out if you are in the area.

At the store I picked up a copy of a Vietnam Studies monograph I didn't have, The War in the Northern Provinces. Turning it over, I saw the book, which is around 1/2" thick, was sent through the mail as evidenced by the mailing label.

My Anthony Wawrukiewicz book on US postal rates isn't handy, so perhaps someone can explain why the monograph qualified for 3rd class mail, which is typically used for advertising or "junk" mail.  Printed in the upper right corner of the label it clearly reads "Special Fourth Class Rate Books."

In addition to a useful book I got a nifty piece of postal history, not to mention a new destination to visit each year.

Feedback Requested on Abbreviations

This post includes several covers that include an abbreviation that I have struggled with, either due to the handwriting or because I am simply unfamiliar with the usage. I would appreciate feedback or suggestions on these items.

C.A.A.T.
The return address of this cover from M.A.A.G. (Military Assistance Advisory Group, Vietnam). includes the abbreviation "C.A.A.T." Searching Google I was able to come up with two candidates: "Combined Anti-Armor Team" or "Combined Arms Assault Team." The former, a Marines unit, seems more prevalent and thus more likely.


CORDS
This is an example of questionable handwriting. I assume the return address reads "CORDS /IV" standing for "Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support, IV Corps", but I cannot help thinking it looks more like "COBOS," which does not seem to mean anything. The rest of the address reads "Advisory Team 75, My Tho, Vietnam."


ARMA
This cover is from the US Embassy in Vientiane, Laos. The return address is written in pencil and partially obscured with something that looks almost like White-Out. The name appears to be "Captain W.R. Healy" and the next row is "(?)ARMA". If I assume the first character was intentially wiped out (and the sender got a bit sloppy with his name above), ARMA likely stands for the "Army Attache" which was involved in programs like Project 404 in Laos. I have tried searching with other letters in the abbreviation, e.g. SARMA, DARMA, OARMA but to no avail. Thoughts?


K.V.K.
Presumably a Vietnamese term, the abbreviation "K.V.K." has me stumped. Identification might provide some more information about the type of unit served by KBC 4076.

On Dec 1st and anonymous contributor identified the abbreviation as meaning "Kho Vu Khi" or ammunition dump


Click on the covers for larger images. Thanks for your help!
Andrew

RVNAF Military Postal Service

I just obtained a copy of the Indochina Monograph series The RVNAF by Lt. General Dong Van Khuyen. Buried in the center of this 400 page document are three pages on the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces military postal service.

Some key items of interest:

By 1966 the Military Post Office Center (formerly the Directorate of Military Post Office) controlled 29 post annexes which served more than 1,500 KBC units and addresses. In 1973 there were 40 annexes servicing more than 3,000 KBC units.

The most frequent shortcoming in the military postal service was the time the mail took to reach the responsible person or beneficiary. An extensive investigation .... revealed that the delay did not take place between one KBC and another as many servicemen had thought, but primarily between the sending unit and the original KBC or annex, and between the destination KBC or annex and the receiving unit. The delay was also caused by the unit's internal distribution system.

There was also a lack of coordination between the unit and the area logistics command to have the KBC changed in case of [a] long-term operation outside the military region.

As for mail security, several measures were taken to prevent loss or interception. Mailmen, with proper security clearances, were chosen from good and reliable personnel. Each mailman was issued a register to record the receiving and delivery of mail, which was daily inspected by the chief of the mail and message section. Each mailman was also issued a leather case with lock for carrying mail in transit.

The book was reprinted by and is available from Dalley Book Service in Virginia. They have also reprinted a number of other military titles, including Bernard Fall's The Viet Minh Regime and Documents Relating to British Involvement in the Indo-china Conflict 1945-1965 originally published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Tell George I sent you!

NVN Military Stamp Wanted on Cover

I am looking for a copy of the brown "invalids on water wheel" North Vietnamese military stamp postally used on cover with a clear cancel. Ideally it will be used around the time the stamp was issued, but anything before April 30, 1975 would be okay. Please contact me if you have one to sell or trade.

Where did the name Imnaha come from?

I was asked today why I use "Imnaha" as my online name. I get asked that quite a bit, and no, it doesn't have anything to do with Vietnam.

Imnaha is a small town of around 30 people in the canyon lands of far northeastern Oregon, not far from Hell's Canyon and the Snake River. The Nez Perce tribe wintered in these canyons and spent time their summers in the beautiful Wallowa mountains. I grew up near Joseph, Oregon on the banks of Wallowa Lake.

When I first ventured online in the early 1990s with my newly minted 14,400 baud modem, I needed a username for the bulletin board systems I wanted to dial into. This was before Mosaic and Netscape were available to surf the nascent web.

Imnaha seemed like a good choice because to me, it epitomized a frontier and a small community like these bulletin boards. It was also a unique name that was unlikely to be used by others as I signed up for other sites. I also liked that there was a philatelic tie-in of a mail boat, called the Imnaha that traveled up and down the Snake River delivering mail to small outposts until it ran aground.

I try to make the 30 mile drive from Joseph down to Imnaha when I'm in that neck of the country visiting friends and family. I joked about buying the post office that was recently for sale on the banks of the Imnaha River, but I don't think my family is ready to live 2 hours from the nearest traffic light.

Welcome to Imnaha Stamps

Thanks for visiting. I am a student of the conflicts in Vietnam chronicled through postal history, stamps and historical documents. My primary focus spans the Japanese occupation in 1945 through the fall of Saigon in 1975, following all participants.

The topics covered in this blog are mainly military in nature, however anything philatelic or related to Vietnam is fair game.

This blog supplements my website www.imnahastamps.com with short pieces of research, quick notes and other items I find interesting. Some items may make their way into the Indo-china Philatelist or other philatelic journals.

Thanks to Vinh Nguyen, formerly of the South Vietnamese Navy (Hai Quan), for help with translations.

Please post comments to share information, offer corrections, or to ask questions. Or contact me directly at