His father kindled Chayefsky's interest in the Yiddish theatre and instilled in him a love for the arts and respect for education. Chayefsky's first step toward a writing career was taken when he became editor of New York City's De Witt Clinton High School literary yearbook,
The Magpie. After graduating from City College of New York in 1943 with a B.S. in social science, Chayefsky enlisted in the U.S. Army. In 1944 he was injured by a land mine explosion in Germany, was awarded the Purple Heart, and sent to London to recover. There his first drama, a musical entitled
No T.O. for Love, was written and produced for a Special Services tour in 1945 with Chayefsky in a leading role. His tour of duty in the army also generated his Irish sobriquet when a lieutenant dubbed him Paddy because of his frequent request to attend Catholic mass rather than serve on K.P. detail.
The next years were a time of transition for Chayefsky: in 1944, while still in the army, he worked on an army movie, True Glory, with Garson Kanin; he was an apprentice at his uncle's print shop in New York for a brief time after his discharge from the army in 1946.
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