Elvis Presley, the King, author of “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Hound Dog,” and countless other classics became a household name by 1956.
The King getting sworn into duty. (military)
By that point the King of Rock and Roll had just moved into Graceland, his Tennessee mansion, and looked forward to making it the jewel of celebrity mansions. As Presley bragged, “This is going to be a lot nicer than Red Skelton’s house when I get it like I want it.” However, before the King could fully enjoy his new sprawling estate, he received a summons from the United States military to serve his two years of required service. Thousands of fans wrote to the government, pleading to excuse the King from service but Elvis demurred and proudly agreed to serve his time as a regular soldier.
Not Taking The Easy Way Out
Elvis Presley reporting for duty. (rarehistoricalphotos)
As John Lennon famously once said, “Before Elvis, there was nothing.” In the case of the military, nothing like Presely ever came through Uncle Sam’s boot camp. After taking a deferment to film, “King Creole,” Elvis reported for duty on March 24, 1958. Amazingly, one of the most famous people in the history of the world, decided not to take the easy way out. The Air Force and Navy both offered him cushy positions, ranging from creating his own “Elvis Presley company” to using him as a recruitment model.
A Good Soldier
Presley served as a member of two different armor battalions. He reported to Company A, 2d Medium Tank Battalion, 37th Armor, stationed at Fort Hood, Texas.
On the other hand, the only concession the Army offered was to have him play concerts for the troops. Despite the lack of enticement, Elvis went with the Army. The King wanted to show that he could handle anything despite the cushy celebrity life he lived. “People were expecting me to mess up, to goof up in one way or another. They thought I couldn’t take it and so forth, and I was determined to go to any limits to prove otherwise. Not only to the people who were wondering but to myself,” He passed through basic training without hassle.
Bye Bye Ducktail
Elvis Presley loses his luscious locks before entering the Army at Fort Chaffee in Barling, Ark., in March 1958. (AP)
Although the Army did not make as many concessions as the other branches offered, they did try to make life a little easier for Elvis. Apparently, Sen. Clifford P. Case attempted to make a special exception for Presley's iconic haircut. In the end, it had to go, sort of. “Well, hair today, gone tomorrow,” he said as the heartthrob’s hair fell to the floor. However, despite the barber “shorten(ing) his sideburns a good inch,” he “left him still looking much too dreamy for the Army.” The media dubbed his first day of service as “Black Monday.”
Frankfurt, Germany
The unexpected passing of Presely's mother in August made his military stint very difficult. (dw)
Presley was assigned to an armoured division, working as a truck driver under a no nonsense Captain Russell. Reportedly, the company’s mail went from 1 bag a day to 15 and the Captain was not too pleased about it. Russell also didn’t enjoy Germany’s girls attempting to climb the base’s fences just to get a glimpse at rock and roll royalty. To solve the problem, the Captain assigned Elvis to a scout platoon under Sargent Jones. As another soldier put it, “Sgt. Jones didn’t take any junk from anybody. If he wanted to keep the media away from Presley, he’s the guy who could do it.”
Elvis In Europe
Elvis enjoying some military chow, crew cut and all. (nationalpost)
While grieving the sudden loss of his mother , Elvis did his best to take his mind off his unrelenting sorrows. He took his army buddies on wild debaucherous outings across Europe. In one instance he got into a fight along with his friend Rex Mansfield. As Mansfield told it, “He was a great big German guy, much bigger than me. He hit me first. Elvis actually knocked the guy out. He slid down the wall. He deserved to get whipped, and he did.”
From October 1, 1958, until March 2, 1960 he served as a member of the 1st Medium Tank Battalion, 32d Armor.
A Dark Gateway
Sadly, so as to ease the pain of his mother's death, Elvis began taking amphetamines, which an army buddy introduced him to. As he told his then 14 year old girlfriend, Priscilla Beaulieu, a daughter of an Army officer, “These little pills will give you more strength and energy than you can imagine. If I didn’t have them, I’d never make it through the day myself. But it’s okay, they’re safe.”
Tragically, those pills lead Elvis down the well chronicled road of drug abuse and loneliness. As many have wondered, would Elvis have gone down that road if he hadn’t served in the Army? His mother still would have passed unexpectedly but perhaps being with her could have softened the blow. It’s also likely he would have found recreational drugs one way or another but it’s hard not to speculate.
