Alaina Urquhart

That's sad.

And as is often the case, Dennis was only able to conceal this for so long.

And in his mid-20s, he was engaging in a lot of, like, you know, one-night stands with men.

Just, like, quick anonymous sexual encounters.

I mean, you're living your life and you have to...

people have needs you know you can't just deny yourself forever and he was he made sure they were devoid of a lot of emotion or attachment because that was kind of his life up until that moment so common too and this is this works for some people of course but for dennis it was different he was looking he'd always been a loner and he had created this rich fantasy life in which the needs and wants of others were irrelevant his were the important ones okay

Now, as an adult, it was as though he was blurring fantasy and reality, treating the real people he came in contact with who came and went in his life as though they were dolls that he could just act out life on.

That's frankly disturbing.

And then he could just put them away when he was done.

And life does not work like that.

In the fall of 1972, his career in the military came to an end when he was discharged after 11 years.

Wow.

The following day, he turned 27 years old and found himself right back where he started.

That's crazy.

Like almost all of your 20s just gone and then you're asked to start a new life or expected to.

Yeah.

Now he was living in his mother's house, unemployed and alone again.

His decision to leave the military was pretty simple.

He just wanted to try a career outside the army.

Yeah.