THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 1, 1994 TAG: 9410010272
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NAGS HEAD LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
Desert Storm veteran Bill Bosquet of Nags Head is looking for an Army pal missing from his stateside home.
His buddy is black and white, likes cat food, and is credited with being the good luck charm that kept his Army buddies safe from Scud attacks in Saudi Arabia during the gulf war.
Bosquet's pal is an alley cat he and a friend rescued from the path of tanks being unloaded from U.S. ships in 1991 in preparation for the invasion of Kuwait.
``I was with the Seventh Group, 24th Battalion out of Fort Eustis,'' Bosquet said Friday. ``One of my friends saw this kitten run out in front of one of the tanks. He stopped the tank, and brought the cat into my office. We named him Misfit.''
Misfit lived with Bosquet for 10 months in Saudi Arabia. Listen to Bosquet, and you learn that this was no ordinary cat.
``He was our mascot and good luck charm,'' Bosquet said.
``We built him a little box with a cover over it to get into when there were Scud attacks.''
Bosquet also got some interesting mail as a result of his new friend.
Most soldiers got cookies and cakes from home. Bosquet and Misfit got cat food.
``My wife sent me cat chow in the mail,'' he said. ``Eventually I sent Misfit home.''
Misfit made the long journey from Saudi Arabia to New York to Norfolk. Bosquet later returned to Fort Eustis, Va.
After his discharge, Bosquet and his family moved to Nags Head.
``The cat is part of the family,'' he said. ``He's been missing since Monday. He's a real friendly cat. I'm afraid he may have gotten into a car with someone who is visiting here from up North.''
Misfit has a black and white face, a pink nose, and is black on his back with a white underbelly.
``He's a little larger than most cats. He has big teeth, and he has webbed feet,'' Bosquet said.
Bosquet's eyes sadden when he talks about his missing buddy.
``My wife and little girl really miss him. He's special to me because of where I found him and what we went through.'' ILLUSTRATION: TO HELP
Anyone with information about Misfit, the Bosquet family's missing
cat, is urged to call 919-441-4467.
by CNB