The Doom Pussy
"The Doom Pussy" by Elaine Shepard 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 [Note 1]to a world endurance record of 150 hours and 50 minutes. In 1947 Spaatz 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 booth. "I have read your book, "The Doom Pussy", twice," he said. "I keep it on my night table."
Notes
- ↑ Question Mark ("?") was a modified Atlantic-Fokker C-2A transport airplane of the United States Army Air Corps. In 1929, commanded by Major Carl A. Spaatz, it was flown for a flight endurance record as part of an experiment with aerial refueling. Question Mark established new world records in aviation for sustained flight (heavier-than-air), refueled flight, sustained flight (lighter-than-air), and distance between January 1 and January 7, 1929, in a non-stop flight of 151 hours near Los Angeles, California.
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