Where We Were in Vietnam: A Comprehensive Guide to the Firebases, Military Installations and Naval Vessels of the Vietnam War, 1945-1975 [Paperback]

Michael Kelley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2002

Widely considered the definitive resource on the Vietnam War, Where We Were identifies the name, location and provides a brief historical synopsis of every military installation, firebase, landing zone, airfield, port, signal site, vessel and significant terrain feature of the American war in Vietnam. Additionally, includes a substantial number from the French War as well. Coverage includes all of Indochina. Currently features over 12,000 entries. Also includes an extensive appendix of Vietnam War research and map guidelines/resources.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...belongs on the bookshelf of anyone wishing to study the U.S. ground war in Vietnam." -- Keith W. Nolan - Author: Ripcord, Sappers in the Wire, Operation Buffalo and The Battle for Saigon

"If you can't find it in these pages, it can't be found." -- Joseph L. Galloway - Co-author: We Were Soldiers Once...and Young

"If you need a fact about the Vietnam War, look here first!" -- Eric Hammel - Historian and author: Khe Sanh: Siege in the Clouds--An Oral History and Fire in the Streets: The Battle for Hue--Tet 1968

"It's an incredible resource and will sit prominently among my research materials on the Vietnam War." -- David Hackworth - Author: Vietnam Primer, About Face and Steel My Soldiers' Hearts

... has done everyone who served in Vietnam a great service with his monumental research. -- Joseph L. Galloway, Co-author of We Were Soldiers Once...and Young

If you need a fact about the Vietnam War, look here first. -- Eric Hammel, author Khe Sahn, Fire in the Streets

It's an incredible resource and will sit prominently among my research materials on the Vietnam War -- David Hackworth, author Vietnam Primer, About Face & Steel My Soldiers' Hearts

About the Author

Michael Kelley served as a rifleman and machine gunner with D Company, 1st/502d Infantry, 101st Airborne Division from Nov69 until badly wounded Sept70. Drafted immediately upon graduation from Sacramento State College (BA, Art), he has since established himself as one of the better-known artists whose focus has been the Vietnam experience. His military awards include the Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Air Medal, and ARCOM.

Product Details

• Paperback: 848 pages
• Publisher: Hellgate Press (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555716253
• ISBN-13: 978-1555716257
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #341,581 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best On My Bookshelf, August 20, 2002

By 

John Eastman (South Orleans, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where We Were in Vietnam: A Comprehensive Guide to the Firebases, Military Installations and Naval Vessels of the Vietnam War, 1945-1975 (Paperback)

Mr. Kelly has produced one of the finest referrence books ever compiled about the Vietnam War. I am amazed at his depth of research. I sat with the book and challenged it by thinking of some of the most obscure places I was at in Vietnam that I believed would be overlooked by any reasearcher. He had not only located everyone of them by the nicknames given them by our troops but also gave their proper Vietnamese title!
I have worked with Vietnam Veterans for the past nineteen years primarily in securing benefits for them from the Depatment of Veterans' Affairs. This book is a godsend to anyone assiting vetrans in the VA claims process. It is a one stop reference in the art of obtaining information (locations, unit and personal military records) necessary to support a claim for benefits. It is far more valuable then Stanton's " Vietnam Order of Battle".
This is the book that every Vietnam Vietnam veteran or human service agency that provides service to Vietnam Veterans should own. I have a very large collection, over 180 lineal feet of shelving, of fiction and non-fiction books about Vietnam and the men and women who fought there. I now consider Mike Kelley's non-ficiton work the "Best on my bookshelf'.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get this while it is still in print, August 15, 2002

By 

Stephen Sossaman (San Francisco CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Where We Were in Vietnam: A Comprehensive Guide to the Firebases, Military Installations and Naval Vessels of the Vietnam War, 1945-1975 (Paperback)

In addition to tons of raw data, there are suggestions for further research, unit web sites, a glossary, as well as information on acquiring maps and (if you're flush with cash) some unit rosters and unit reports).Like any reference work, no reader will need most of it, but the parts that matter to you or me are worth the price (we still like dictionaries and phonebooks, ignoring most of the entries). As Michael Kelley himself writes, readers will surely find many errors and omissions; veterans checking out their own unit and AO can help make the next edition even more useful. The book is rich with unexpectedly interesting material.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Miracle is born!, August 1, 2003

By 

Ron Leonard (Paris, Tx United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Where We Were in Vietnam: A Comprehensive Guide to the Firebases, Military Installations and Naval Vessels of the Vietnam War, 1945-1975 (Paperback)

For starters I am the webmaster of 25th Aviation Battalion. I am the keeper of the records for our unit and its associated history. In the 25th Infantry Division they moved Fire support Bases almost weekly so what was Buell I over there is now Buell III over here. Trying to keep track of on any date what was where was almost impossible. I have the fire support base maps, but that was on a given day during a five year period. Michael has simplified this job a good bit. Since I had the XY coordinates of all the bases from after action reports it was relatively easy to fnd them on michaels system. To write the proper review of this book would take a book to do it, so Michael keep up the fire this one here is a winner and a must for serious researchers. I to know the Labor of love.