Elvis Presley’s Military Career: How the King Became a U.S. Army Sergeant
Discover how Elvis’s Army service shaped his life—and led to major personal changes
Elvis Presley’s career quickly skyrocketed in the mid-1950s, and by 1956, he was considered an international sensation. But just a couple of years later, the “King of Rock and Roll” would have to put aside his phenomenal success as a musician to serve his country. Keep reading to learn more about Elvis Presley’s time in the military, plus how his deployment in Germany with the U.S. Army impacted his singing career.
When Elvis Presley was drafted into the Army
The iconic singer hadn’t been a stranger to making the front page, but on March 24, 1958, it was for a very different reason: Presley had been inducted into the U.S. Army.
However, this didn’t exactly come as a surprise for many, as he had actually been ordered by the draft board to receive a physical on January 20, 1958. According to Time magazine, a hardship deferment bought him a little extra time. He had been in the middle of filming a movie and the studio couldn’t afford to lose the large lump of money it had already invested.
But in March, it was time for Presley to report for his Army duty. With his parents Gladys and Vernon by his side, the then 18-year-old arrived at the Memphis Draft Board office. He completed the necessary processing and physical before he and the other inductees boarded a bus for Fort Chaffee, Arkansas.
“There’s not much difference between this and making a movie,” he reportedly said. “In Hollywood, you have to get up at 5 a.m. and be on the set at 6. The only different thing here is that you don’t have a limousine”.
The news-worthy military haircut
Time reported that there had been much buzz (only a month after he was eligible for the draft) about what would happen to Presley’s hair after reporting for the Army. His iconic sideburns were shortened about an inch that February, but the formal haircut didn’t take place until March.
As he sat in the barber’s chair at Fort Chaffee, members of the press gathered for the long-anticipated moment. “Hair today, gone tomorrow,” the singer quipped as his locks received the standard military cut.
Even when Presley returned to his career in rock and roll after his service ended, his once-famous sideburns never made a comeback. In fact, he said at the time that he had no plans to regrow them.
A look at Elvis Presley’s role as a sergeant
After he arrived in Fort Chaffee, the blue-eyed celebrity had to go through six months of training to be prepared for deployment. During that time, he was no longer in the public eye and instead focused on his routine as a soldier.
“He participated in every training class, every field trip, and marched alongside us for hours,” Army pal Rex Mansfield once said, according to VeteransBreakfastClub.org. “Most of us usually watched him from the corners of our eyes. We were very skeptical and expected Elvis to ask for and receive extra attention and favors. But I can honestly say that from the very start, Elvis never asked for special treatment.”
Though he may not have expected to be treated differently, his presence in West Germany still caused quite the stir. It was revealed in articles after his return home that double guards had been needed to keep away young fans desperate to see Presley.
A steady stream of mail addressed to the singer was an ongoing challenge for the army post office. The press information department was also constantly having to turn down interview requests for the singer.
It took a transfer to a scout platoon led by a no-nonsense sergeant to ensure the media backed off and allowed Private Presley to focus on his role. He ended up serving in the 1st medium tank battalion, 32nd armor and 3rd armored division, which was stationed at Ray Barracks in Friedberg, West Germany.
Other life changes while in the military
During his time in the Army, Presley’s personal life went through several huge transitions. The first: when his mother died of a heart attack in August 1958. He returned home to Memphis for her funeral, and her absence never really left his mind, according to Rolling Stone magazine.
His time serving in the Army is also what led him to eventually marry Priscilla, who was the daughter of an Army officer. The pair met when she was 14 years old and they immediately started dating.
Unfortunately, there was one other introduction that forever impacted the rest of Presley’s life. A fellow sergeant gave him amphetamines, which he began taking daily after being told it would help him gain energy. An ongoing struggle with drug addiction is reportedly what led him and Priscilla to separate in 1972.
When Elvis Presley’s active duty enlistment ended
In 1960, Presley’s homesickness would finally be a thing of the past; his stint as a jeep driver in the Army had come to an end. He was promoted to Sergeant in January and received his full sergeant’s stripes on February 11.
Once he was honorably discharged on March 5, he spoke at a farewell press conference about his experience before departing Germany
“People were expecting me to mess up, to goof up in one way or another,” he said. “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.”
After Presley landed at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey on March 3, his music career was far from over. The time he had spent singing solo at his home in Germany allowed him to reemerge as what experts have described as a more mature artist.
His first single after his return home was “Stuck On You,” which was released on March 20. It became one of Presley’s biggest hits of the decade and spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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