| Lieutenant Don Draper | |
|---|---|
| Portrayed by | Troy Ruptash |
| First appearance | Nixon vs. Kennedy |
| Details | |
| Gender | Male |
| Employer | U.S. Military |
| Relations | |
| Wife | Anna Draper (until his death) |
Biography
Lieutenant Donald Francis Draper was an engineer originally from California and his birthday was June 2, 1917. He was married to Anna Draper, though he had originally wanted to marry her sister, Patty. Draper was a soldier assigned to build a field hospital in 1950 during the Korean War, at a time when he was about to be discharged from the army. While the other men in his group were engaged in combat several miles away, Lt. Draper was supposed to receive about 20 soldiers to build the installation. Instead, only one young soldier, Dick Whitman was assigned to this duty, and worked under Draper's command.
While working outside, they heard mortar explosions getting closer until gunfire erupted and bullets zoomed by their heads. They hurried for cover, and after the short round of shooting ended, Dick Whitman lit up a cigarette. No sooner did Dick realize that the gasoline has spilled everywhere than his lighter ignited a huge fireball, ending with an explosion.
When Dick woke up, he saw that Lt. Draper had been killed, burned beyond recognition. He sought out Don's dog tags and pulled them from the body and replaced them with his own. The next day at the military hospital, Dick now Don, received a Purple Heart and the news that he was going home, as Donald Draper's army service had been completed. ("Nixon vs. Kennedy"). The newly minted "Don Draper" then accompanied the body of the real Don Draper back to the United States, to be interred in Pennsylvania in a grave labeled with Dick Whitman's name.
Some time later, Lt. Draper's real wife Anna Draper, having been seemingly deserted by her husband, tracked down "Don Draper" and found Dick Whitman posing as Draper and working to sell used cars. She was initially fearful of Dick, but he quickly put her at ease and confessed the truth of Lt. Draper's fate.
