CLARENCE TULLY - A Man With a Secret (1/2)

Clarence Darrow Tully was tall, good-looking, and intelligent. He worked as a reporter at first and eventually became publisher of two newspapers in Arizona. He was a competent newspaper executive and got along well with other important people in the community. He was very successful in his career. These was, however, something unusual about Tully that was a secret for a long, long time.
When Clarence Darrow Tully was a young man, he told everyone to call him "Duke." He copied that name from a famous movie actor, whom Americans liked because he was strong, tough and brave. Tully want to be admired for the same reasons as this actor was. He also believed that men in military uniform looked strong, tough, and brave. Tully wanted very much to make this impression on others. His desire for this image got stronger and stronger as time went on.
He tried to join the Air Force, but poor vision prevented him from being accepted. His older brother became a Marine pilot and was killed in service in 1942. When this happened, Tully began to put his imagination to work: he started to tell untrue stories about his personal life. At first, he simply claimed he was in the Air Force and that he had a college degree. Every time he got a promotion in his career, he added more stories about brave active duty in the Korean and Vietnam wars.
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(to be continued...)