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.
In the Doom Pussy II, Elaine combines her original characters with new personalities, riveting exploits and the riotous humor of men who faced steep odds, including some of the world's worst flying weather and the maddeningly restrictive Rules of Engagement (ROE) concocted and dictated by bureaucrats half a world away. These ROE were complex, obscure, ever-changing restrictions with assorted instructions applying to each service - Marines, Coast Guard, Navy, Army and particularly Air Force. For reasons that resist understanding, our fighter pilots were not permitted to attack a North Vietnamese MIG parked on a runway until it was airborne, identified and acting warlike.
The possible friendly intentions of a fully-armed enemy MIG poised for takeoff remained wholly mysterious.
Rules for the entire country changed monthly. And although these restrictions were classified as Top Secret (up to 1985) the enemy managed to learn almost every detail and used the information to their considerable advantage.
As the war progressed and our fighting men discovered lies were being converted into history, they also realized that -- as Mother Teresa put it -- "Dealing with the press is like bathing with a leper."
For over a quarter of a century the author has kept in touch with her veteran friends and their families. She notes how many of them come from small-town America: Larry Mason (Air Force Cross); Chuck Yeager (America's most celebrated pilot); Bernie Fisher (Medal of Honor)>
The book includes the exploits of our allies as well - the incomparable Canadians and Australians, always up front when freedom and honor are involved. And it was the first time in Korean history that they had sent troops outside the country to fight. They didn't forget that the communist attack in 1950 cam close to wiping them out as a nation. The South Koreans (ROK) observed all the local customs and basic courtesies of Vietnamese society. Natural, since they have similar cultures.
"The ROK are a big help over here," said the U.S. Marines, who also figure prominently in the book, and were quick to recognize the ROK's expertise. "They're good troops all around. Fantastic soldiers, and their casualties are the lowest of any combat men over here. The Cong hate their guts, even more than the Aussies or us. They're deadly at close combat. Those cats are unsurpassed at judo and karate. Did you know the kill ratio of the Korean Tiger Division in South Vietnam is over sixteen VC to one ROK?"
Men of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines and Coast guard are included in the book. Shepard was the first civilian, man or woman, authorized to go on the bowel-freezing night sorties of Lightning Bug Missions with the U.S. Army's 145th Aviation Bn.; rode tandem with FACS spotting enemy positions, and flew countless trips to the boonies with Col. Harry Howton's Hog Haulers of the 311th Air Commandos, on whose cards was printed: BLAST THEIR ASS.
This correspondent in a man's world of war, loneliness, fear, death and triumph, puts readers in the bunker, the jungle and the cockpit. In a front page critique, the Denton Record Chronicle wrote: "Blonde and calm, Elaine Shepard moves like Marilyn Monroe, talks like Ava Gardner, and writes like Ernie Pyle."
Accredited to the White House Press Corps on President Eisenhower's three major world tours, on two of them Navy protocol was hung out to dry as she sailed the Mediterranean aboard the U.S.S. Essex and the China Seas aboard the U.S.S. Yorktown, along with 3,000-man crews.
With an unerring sense of coming events in global hot spots, Shepard's headline reports ranged from Quemoy, Cuba and the Kremlin, to Kabul, Cairo and Katmandu. She was the first woman reporter into the Congo rebellion and has filed from over 80 countries. She also nailed the first interview with Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. And during extensive travels thorughout the Middle East she was the first woman to be received in open majlis by the King of Saudi Arabia.
As in her hilarious first book, "Forgive Us Our Press Passes," in the Doom Pussy II Elaine meshes reportage with the personal adventures of an international correspondent.
