Transvestia

of being thrown into close contact with other men-- few, if any had the least comprehension of what I felt, inside. Whether it was a sense of responsibil- ity, resignation, or patriotism, I felt I had to do my duty and wanted to join the Army Air Force--hope- fully, to get into the Cadets. I worked devilishly hard to prepare myself for the Cadet examinations. and passed. Then came the interminable wait for call-up. The "spit and polish" cadet training was hard, but fun. After some months, a physical exam- ination revealed a conditon that would bar me from flying. Shortly, I was reassigned to the Military Police academy for nine month of strenuous training --training which would prove to be a life-saver many times over in the ETO. My military career was certain- ly no picnic--the horrors I experienced will be with. me always. Looking back on my three and one-half years in the Army from the vantage point of today, it was beneficial to me. I learned that I could do almost anything I put my mind to, could endure hard- ship, and most of all, could hold up my head as being "as much a man" as anyone. On the other hand, it was damnably hard to keep my FP secret from my buddies.

At the war's end, so eager was I to be discharged, that I let a clever sergeant sign me up in the re- serves. At first, it made no difference, but did later on. A civilian again, the first thing was to find a good job. In the post-war doldrums, jobs were very hard to come by so I was forced to join the "52-20 Club"--being paid to do nothing. My interests in roller skating were renewed, and at a rink I found the girl I wanted as my wife. Without a job, or even prospects of one, and not being a smooth talker, it took me almost a year to convince her that I might be worth the gamble. Of course, during our courtship I didn't dare tell her of my desires. How could I? Like so many other FP's, I was sure I was the only one in the world. Several times I wanted to tell her, but the words just wouldn't come. Still, I found in my wife-to-be, a friend in