The Doom Pussy

by Elaine Shepard

The title is a combination acronym for Danang Officer's Open Mess and the cat on the Doom Pussy patch. Encircling the emblem are the TRONG MIENG CUA CON MEO CUA THAM PHAN which "I have flown at night into the mouth of the tiger." The airmen's blood-thumping sorties officially were called Doom Pussy Missions. In her 1967 book, The Doom Pussy, war correspondent Elaine Shepard superbly captured on paper the full gut-wrenching drama of some of the bravest men ever in uniform and their special brand of raillery under stress. She knew them intimately, shared their ribald jokes, their heartbreaks, their rations and their gripes. Famed TV star and aviation buff Arthur Godfrey echoed military historians who called it a combat classic.

Genres: War, Military Fiction, Journalism

241 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1967

Reviews

[Colin Cline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent view of Vietnam from the perspective of this fascinating actress-turned-reporter. She put herself in harm's way to report on the war and the men who fought it. Now if we only had a biography of the author.