He attends Ursinus College and takes night classes at Columbia University. At Columbia University, Salinger meets an important person in his life. Whit Burnett wasn’t the best teacher, but he was the editor of story magazine; which is a publication for short stories. Burnett saw potential in Salinger and pushed him to publish stories in magazines. Salinger’s work was eventually published in Story Magazine and many other big publications including: Coillier’s and Saturday Evening Post.
On 1942, Salinger gets drafted into the military for World War II, serving for two years. He was involved in the Normandy Invasion and the Battle of the Bulge. During his time in the military, he met a fellow writer named Ernest Hemingway. The two got along. During the war, Salinger continued to write. He worked on a character named Holden Caulfield, which led to the creation of the book: The Catcher in the Rye.
Salinger was one of the first officers to enter liberated concentration camps. Salinger grew unstable during the war. He suffered severe trauma and fainted from a nervous breakdown. Salinger met Sylvia, a nurse, during his hospitalization. Sylvia and Salinger were married for eight months. The marriage was ended due to annulment. (From