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The Doom Pussy Hardcover – January 1, 1967

by Elaine Shepard (Author)

4.3 8 ratings

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The doom Pussy was the first book on Vietnam to chronicle aerial combat. Among the truckloads of fan mail the author received were scores of letters from veteran pilots who claimed they had carried the book as their "bible" on the conflict.

At a Vietnam War veteran's reunion in Las Vegas in August 1969, the celebrants were current members of two of the oldest units in the U.S. Air Force: The 8th and the 13th Tactical Bomb Squadrons (TBS). Formed as "aero squadrons" in 1917, their histories are studded with stirring escapades and flying lore. Patriotism to them was not a thing of scorn, but of tradition and high challenge. In over half a century of serving their country the squadrons had flown everything from SPADS and DH-4s at Saint Mihiel to B-26s in Korea.

The 8th and 13th veterans of Vietnam were honored to have as their special guests six men in their eighties, a rare and vanishing breed who had helped pioneer aerial warfare over Europe in frail, single-engine biplanes.

These gallant aviators of the 8th and 13th Aero Pursuit Squadrons who flew in World War I, sat at a table near the rostrum. In a touching scene before the program began, the glorious old pelicans quietly rose, shoulder blades straight, to toast with champagne the squadron hero of other times and other wars, General Carl A. "Tooey" Spaatz. After World War I, he had made global headlines flying the famed Question Mark to a world endurance record of 150 hours and 50 minutes. In 1947 he was named the first Chief of Staff of the new U.S. Air Force and remained an uncommonly popular officer.

Earlier in the evening, Gen. Spaatz had stopped by Elaine Shepard's table. "I have read your book, The Doom Pussy, twice," he said. "I keep it on my night table."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Absolutely fantastic book on the action in Vietnam. Every American citizen should read it. That a woman reporter wrote it is even more amazing." -- Arthur Godfrey

"Elaine focuses on the fighting men's pride, their courage, their vernacular, their humor. They come alive. Her swashbuckling guardians, Pilot Nails and Navigator Smash belong in this war's roster of memorable characters." -- The Louisville Times

"Miss Shepard does not boggle at recreating soldier's speech. Even better is her skill at putting on pages their gallant humor. The book is frank and makes Vietnam seem close as one street over." -- Arizona Republic

"This may reach a market no other Vietnam book has done -- the ladies. It has glamour and guts." -- Virginia Kirkus

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rockoon Pr (January 1, 1967)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0962838810
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0962838811
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds

Best Sellers Rank: #5,207,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #61,617 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.3 8 ratings

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RON ORNDORFF

"Into the Jaws of gthe Cat"

Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2014

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I first read this book years ago, loaned it to a neighbor and never got it back .For the most part, this is a factual story about the Viet Nam war. The story revolves around the 13th Bomb Squadron (Tactical) a B-57 Canberra outfit known as the Devil's Own Grim Reapers. Some of the aircrews' antics are quite humorous; other parts are more serious. This is a well written report using factual military terminology. The book gets its title from a stuffed cat kept on a shelf behind the bar of the Danang Officers Open Mess (DOOM). The squadron's motto was " I have flown into the jaws of the cat" meaning North Viet Nam. The 13th was assigned to Ubon Royal Thai AFB when I served there in 72-73. Now if only I could find recordings of "What the Captain Means" and "Strafe the Town and Kill the People."

10 people found this helpful

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Harlan H.

Nostalua

Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2019

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As explained adequate for my review of the Danang 1964 prior to the 1965 period following my time there

Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2013

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Book Seller sent the item very quickly and it was carefully packaged. I am very pleased that it's now on my shelf !!! I have some of Elaine's personal photos that I will mount on the inside covers of this book !

3 people found this helpful

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Mr. George Bernard Rose

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2018

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Glad I could find this. It covers when my dad flew with the squadron.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2018

Verified Purchase

Interesting Vietnam War era book. One of the little known aspects of that war.

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James A. Donoghue Jr

Early Vietnam air war from a WWII perspective

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2010

I flew US Army helicopters, UH-1H and UH-1C gunships, for the 4th Infantry Division in the Vietnam Central Highlands in '67-'68. We circulated a copy of "The Doom Pussy" around the unit, and it became a touchstone for many of our conversations. In fact, the cry a character in the book used when starting a takeoff, "Stony Burke out of chute five!", cribbed from an early Jack Lord (Hawaii 5-0) TV show about rodeo riders, was used by gunship pilot Gambler Deuce when he began his takeoff.
It is a fascinating look at the effort of pilots in the early days of the conflict, when the escalation was in its early days and both sides were trying stuff out to see what worked. Although death is not a stranger in "The DOOM Pussy," in fact, that was a much less violent phase of the war, sort of "Terry and the Pirates" on steroids. Later, when the technology matured and the numbers of fighters increased substantially, things got much more deadly.
However, the thing that struck me about the book was the tone, clearly an echo from World War II. Some of the individual words were modern for those times, but the attitude towards the "adventure" was a rousing "let's go get 'em" sort of thing that by '67 was already obviously naive. Looking at the history of the author, coming of age and popularity as an actor at the height of the war, the reason for this becomes apparent.
So it serves as a dual history, showing on one hand the actual events of flying missions over South Vietnam in the early '60s, and on the other hand clearly reflecting some of the attitudes that got us in so deeply in the first place. For this unique combination it is unsurpassed.

21 people found this helpful

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jagbrowser

Not really very much about Doom Pussy and a few mistakes but interesting enough to make it a good read.

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2017

Verified Purchase

I was in the 8th Bomb Squadron at DaNang 65 -66. Not really very much about Doom Pussy and a few mistakes but interesting enough to make it a good read.

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