Donut Dolly: An American Red Cross Girl's War in Vietnam (Volume 6)

North Texas Military Biography and Memoir Series

by Joann Puffer Kotcher

Donut Dolly puts you in the Vietnam War face down in the dirt under a sniper attack, inside a helicopter being struck by lightning, at dinner next to a commanding general, and slogging through the mud along a line of foxholes. You see the war through the eyes of one of the first women officially allowed in the combat zone.
When Joann Puffer Kotcher left for Vietnam in 1966, she was fresh out of the University of Michigan with a year of teaching, and a year as an American Red Cross Donut Dolly in Korea. All she wanted was to go someplace exciting. In Vietnam, she visited troops from the Central Highlands to the Mekong Delta, from the South China Sea to the Cambodian border. At four duty stations, she set up recreation centers and made mobile visits wherever commanders requested. That included Special Forces Teams in remote combat zone jungles. She brought reminders of home, thoughts of a sister or the girl next door. Officers asked her to take risks because they believed her visits to the front lines were important to the men. Every Vietnam veteran who meets her thinks of her as a brother-at-arms.
Donut Dolly is Kotcher’s personal view of the war, recorded in a journal kept during her tour, day by day as she experienced it. It is a faithful representation of the twists and turns of the turbulent, controversial time. While in Vietnam, Kotcher was once abducted; dodged an ambush in the Delta; talked with a true war hero in a hospital who had charged a machine gun; and had a conversation with a prostitute. A rare account of an American Red Cross volunteer in Vietnam, Donut Dolly will appeal to those interested in the Vietnam War, to those who have interest in the military, and to women aspiring to go beyond the ordinary.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Memoir, War

384 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2011

Reviews

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I probably would have never picked up this book but the local library I work for is actually having this author come in and talk about her book. I love it when libraries get authors to come, so I that is why I read this book.
It was interesting but just a little repetitive in my own opinion. As are all memorials, it was also a little boring. Don’t get me wrong. I thought it was interesting. You don’t hear much about the Red Cross any more and you most definitely don’t hear about the part they played in the Vietnam War. This book follows a Red Cross girl, Joann Puffer Kotcher, the author of the book. She and her fellow Red Cross girls where known as donut dollys. Kotcher started her book off my saying that this memoir is based off her journals, which shows that it is important to write down your memories so you remember them later.
It was interesting to read the rules the ladies had to follow. Such as: they could carry weapons, they could not be married, but they also could not marry during their service time and so on. The reason they could not have weapons is because they were non-combative civilians. The ladies were not soldiers but they were there to boost moral and remind them of home.
I am looking forward to listening to the author. For any of you who like war memorials, this is the book for you.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard this author speak at my women’s club luncheon and sought out her book afterwards ... As a 30-something that missed the Vietnam era, I was grateful to read her insider’s perspective. It differed from some movies and popular opinion, which made it more valuable to me. Her perspective probably is similar to my own, as a conservative “nice girl from a good family”. And a fellow Michigander. :)

I took a break from reading it towards the middle. Like other military books, it can be a bit dry for my taste. After a break (and a couple silly non-fiction books), I was eager to return and appreciated the dry action-oriented style of the book. The book doesn’t have the slick feel of experienced authors, but I appreciated that. It was the diary of one woman’s experience; if it was slick, I wouldn’t trust it.

The book does doesn’t editorialize issues, but the warm humanity of the author and soldiers rings throughout. Occasionally the author will share explanations of situations that she learned after the fact, which I appreciated. She shares what she did and what she saw, so there is a trustworthiness to the book as well.

My editorial opinions:
Liberals will probably hate this book because she is a woman with conservative values who proudly talks about her experiences and makes a good case for herself. She talks about honor and values in war. She has a positive, uplifting, can-do attitude. Her story does seem a bit naive compared to popular opinion about the war, but since she was the one actually there (and this book is based on her diary at the time) ...

Towards the end of the book, she talks about the difficult process of coming home after her time in Vietnam. About the confusion caused by the media and popular opinion being inconsistent with what she actually experienced in Vietnam. She mentions a church group that invited her as a guest speaker and then “confronted" her about her involvement with the war. She briefly mentioned death threats that Vietnam Vets received after returning home to the US. I’ve seen crazy political things happen, but it still boggles my mind that someone would threaten or disparage our own soldiers after (and because) they risked their lives for us.

Having worked with the military in a limited fashion myself, I have a profound respect for them. They are humans with ups & downs, but people who sacrifice themselves (their bodies, time & attention, if not their lives) for a greater purpose deserve the highest respect in my mind. The boots on the ground quietly doing what needs to be done. They walk with other heros and don’t realize that they themselves are doing heroic deeds. In the age of armchair quarterbacks, it is good to hear from people who actually had boots on the ground.

Thank you for the insight into that life, Ms. Kotcher.

[Tebel Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reviewer who said liberals would hate this book due to the author's "conservative values" is operating on a mind set of what "conservative" might mean today, but not what it meant in the 1960"s. The section on rabies is most interesting, but other areas get a bit bogged down. An interesting topic that would have benefitted from a ghost writer. Very thoroughly researched.

[Nancy Solak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though poorly written, it is an important part of our American history. Fascinating.

[Richard Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

An informative look at the Vietnam War through the eyes of a Red Cross Recreational Aide. This book tells a story that is often missed, even by Vietnam veterans. Read it an weep.

[Brandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Began 7/17/16
Had to return to the library 7/23/16, so took a break and left off right at start of Part 2

[Doris Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written from Joann's diary of her time in the Red Cross.