What Elvis Presley's military service was like.

The legendary King of Rock 'n' Roll, 22-year-old Elvis Presley was at the height of his fame in 1957. By then he had had quite a few big hits, including "Heartbreak Hotel," "Hound Dog," "Blue Suede Shoes," and "Love Me Tender." He also starred in several films including. "Prison Rock."and toured North America, attracting teenagers and frightening their parents with his highly provocative, for the time, "The World's Got Talent". "pelvic thrusts.". Yes, yes, conservative society was not just shocked by such gestures, but really furious! But all this is long past....

So: at this point in his career, it seemed like there was nothing Elvis wouldn't do. Well, except for one thing. And that's. military service. The favourite of millions received his conscription letter on 20 December 1957 while on holiday with his family in Graceland. Of course, Elvis fans were not thrilled that the King of Rock 'n' Roll had been drafted into the army, and expressed their anger in countless letters demanding that he be granted an exemption or, at the very least, a deferment. Presley, however, was determined fulfil their civic duty and enlisted as a private in the army on 24 March 1958.

The only favour he received from the government as an artiste was that his enlistment in the army was postponed so that he could finish shooting his film "King Creole.".

Life in the army

According to the data U.S. Army Centre for Military HistoryElvis' time in the Army was about the same as any other male enlistee. He served in two different armoured battalions: Company A, 2nd Medium Tank Battalion, 37th Tank Battalion, stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, where he trained from 28 March to 17 September 1958; and the 1st Medium Tank Battalion, 32nd Armoured Division in Germany from 1 October 1958 to 2 March 1960.

However, given his immense popularity at the time, Elvis was still getting the numerous privilegesnot available to other soldiers. For example, equipping your unit televisions! And he was more than happy to share them with his squad mates. Of course, the transition from celebrity life to military life affected Elvis, who was not a fan of exercise and training, and was eager to get home to his family... He was also worried about how the military service would be will affect his careerand these fears ultimately proved unfounded.

A brilliant comeback

So: Elvis Presley was honourably discharged from the army 5 March 1960.and although his service lasted only about two years, it had a huge impact on his career. And not in the negative way that the King was so worried about... It turned out to be exactly the opposite! But we'll come back to that a little later.

When, during a press conference on his return to civilian life, he was asked about why he enlisted in the armyElvis said:

"People expected me to screw up one way or another. A lot of people thought I wouldn't make it and so on. But I was determined to go all out to prove otherwise, not only to the people who were perplexed, but also to myself."

In conclusion

One of the most fascinating aspects of Elvis's time in the military is how much it is has improved his career! His manager made sure that Elvis was still in the public's mind during his service, so that he could then return quietly, and even with some glamour, to a culture that was eager to have its King back.

Another factor contributing to Elvis' surge in popularity is the fact that he finally has won over the older generationwho had once been intimidated by his provocative dance moves. Remarkably, they gained some respect for the performer because they perceived his decision to join the army as something only a true patriot would do. And what's most interesting about this whole story is that, above all, serving in the army was a cunning plan Colonel Tom Parkerwhich, by the way, worked!