Whitman supposedly never finishes high school, and in his early 20s he runs away to enlist in the United States Army during the Korean War. Once deployed, he serves under the command of Lieutenant Donald Francis Draper (“The real Don Draper”, played by Canadian stage and screen actor Troy Ruptash), a combat engineer under orders to build a field hospital with only Private Whitman and shovels to assist him; all of his previous subordinates either deserted, or were captured or killed. During an enemy artillery attack Whitman causes an explosion by accident, killing Lieutenant Draper instantly. A seriously wounded Whitman switches Draper's dog tags with his own before passing out. He later awakens in a U.S. Army field hospital, presumed to be Lieutenant Draper, and is awarded the Purple Heart. He is sent home on a train with Lieutenant Draper's coffin (believed to be Private Whitman's) to offer the Army's regrets to Whitman's survivors. He avoids meeting the Whitmans at the train station but is spotted by Adam (Jay Paulson), whose parents fail to recognize him. Years later Adam tracks his half-brother down in New York, but "Draper" insists on leaving the past behind and coldly rejects him, paying him off with $5,000 in cash to keep the identity theft secret. Years later, Dick learned Adam took this so hard he hanged himself. Whitman begins his life anew as Don Draper, working as a used-car salesman. Anna M. Draper (Melinda Page Hamilton), widow of the real Don Draper, tracks him down. He informs her of Don's death and confesses to his masquerade. The two form a close bond that continues for many years. Anna remains a close friend and confidante until her death from bone cancer in 1965. The new Don Draper relocates to New York City, where he works as a fur salesman and attends City College at night. With the support of his boss, he writes advertising copy for the fur company, helping him build a portfolio along with some spec ads. It is at this job that Draper meets his future wife, Elizabeth "Betty" Hofstadt (January Jones), a model who is photographed for one of his own ads. After a chance meeting at the store, he tricks a drunken Roger Sterling (John Slattery) into offering him a job at Sterling Cooper, and eventually becomes its Creative Director. He is considered a major asset to the company, as he has considerable talent for understanding the desires of others and for effectively pitching and selling ideas.