Editing Don Adams (section)

==Early life==
Adams was born Donald James Yarmy on April 13, 1923, in [[Manhattan]], New York,<ref name="nytobit">{{cite news |last=Martin |first=Douglas |date=September 27, 2005 |title=Don Adams, Television's Maxwell Smart, Dies at 82 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/27/arts/television/don-adams-televisions-maxwell-smart-dies-at-82.html |access-date=June 20, 2024 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> a son of William Yarmy and his wife, Consuelo (née Deiter) Yarmy. His father was of [[Hungarian Jewish]] descent and worked as a restaurant manager;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://doi.org/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1803789 |title=Adams, Don |last=Gentile |first=Richard H. |website=doi.org |publisher=[[American National Biography]] |access-date=March 10, 2025}}</ref> his mother was Irish American. Donald and his brother [[Dick Yarmy]] were each raised in the religion of one parent: Don in the Catholic faith of their mother, and Dick in the Jewish faith of their father.<ref>[http://www.ilovegetsmart.com/donbio.html The Unclassified Get Smart Site], ilovegetsmart.com; accessed December 22, 2015.</ref> The brothers had an elder sister, Gloria Ella Yarmy (later Gloria Burton), a writer who wrote an episode of ''Get Smart''. Dropping out of New York City's [[DeWitt Clinton High School]], he worked as a theater usher. He later remarked that he had "little use for school".<ref name=post>Smith, Austin. [https://nypost.com/2005/09/27/hes-agent-86d-get-smart-star-don-adams-dies/ "He's Agent 86'd – 'Get Smart' Star Don Adams Dies"], ''[[New York Post]]'', September 27, 2005; accessed August 13, 2017.</ref><ref name=":0"/>

=== World War II service ===
Late in 1941, he joined the United States Marine Corps. Yarmy reported to the First Training Battalion in New River, North Carolina, and then was assigned to I Company of the [[3rd Battalion, 8th Marines|Third Battalion, Eighth Marines]] in San Diego.<ref name=":0"/>

In May 1942, Yarmy's unit was transported to [[Samoa]] for further training, and then participated in the [[Battle of Guadalcanal]] in August 1942 in the [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater|Pacific Theater of Operations]]. Contrary to urban legend, he was not wounded in combat,{{Contradictory inline|reason=This prefatory "urban legend" caveat contradicts the source used at the end of this sentence that indicates he was wounded.|date=November 2024}} but did contract [[blackwater fever]], a serious complication of malaria, known for a 90% rate of fatality.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Evans |first=Art |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vXntDwAAQBAJ&dq=donald+yarmy+marines&pg=PA55 |title=World War II Veterans in Hollywood |date=June 23, 2020 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-3967-3 |pages=55–59 |language=en}}</ref> Yarmy was evacuated and then hospitalized for more than a year at a Navy hospital in [[Wellington]], New Zealand.<ref name="nytobit"/><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/sep/30/broadcasting.guardianobituaries| location=[[Manchester]]| work=[[The Guardian]]| first=Ronald| last=Bergan| title=Don Adams profile| date=September 30, 2005}}</ref><ref name="washobit"/> After his recovery, Yarmy served as a Marine Drill Instructor in the United States,<ref name="notablebiographies.com">{{cite encyclopedia|
 url=http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2007-A-Co/Adams-Don.html| title=Don Adams biography| encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of World Biographies| access-date=September 2, 2017}}</ref><ref name="TruthorFiction">{{cite web| year=2005| url=http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/d/don-adams.htm| title=U.S. Marine Don Adams| work=Truth or Fiction| access-date=December 22, 2015}}</ref> holding the rank of corporal. He was an expert marksman and was noted for his competence.<ref name=":0"/>