In 1958 Elvis was drafted into the army. He reports to the Memphis Recruitment Office at 6:30 a.m. on March 24, 1958, as directed. The King Of Rock’n ‘Roll is now Private 53310761. At 7:00 am, the bus goes to Kennedy Veteran’s Hospital. Here the young soldier Presley is subjected to a physical and mental examination.
On March 25, 1958, his first day as a soldier, Elvis was woken at 5:30 a.m. He receives his first pay check for $ 7.00 and undergoes a test to show his skills for the army. On the same day, Elvis visits hairdresser James B. Peterson, who gives him a military haircut.
On March 28, 1958, Elvis was transferred to Fort Hood, Texas, where he was to begin his military training with the Third Armored Division’s 1st Medium Tank Battalion in Company A. During this time he lives in a normal recruit barracks on the base.
Basic training lasted until June 1, 1958, followed by attending the tank driver school.
From June 16, the training will be deepened with participation in a training course for tank crews. During this time Elvis speaks a lot on the phone with his family and friends.
When the basic training is over on June 18th, Elvis is allowed to live outside the base. He finds a big house in the small Texan town of Killeen
August 9, 1958 his mother was seriously ill with hepatitis was admitted to the Methodist Hospital in Memphis, he received a special permit on August 11 and immediately went to his mother’s bedside. Gladys Presley died on August 14, 1958 at 3:15 a.m. of a heart attack caused by severe hepatitis
The King completed his training on September 12, 1958 and was transferred to Germany within the framework of NATO.
On September 19, 1958, G.I. Presley a train that takes him to the “Military Ocean Terminal” in Brooklyn. Vernon Presley, his grandmother Minnie Mae, Red West, Anita Wood and Lamar Fike bid him goodbye at the train station.
The train reached its destination in the U.S. on September 22, 1958
On the same day, Elvis holds his last press conference on American soil on the troop transport ship USS Randall.
On March 2, 1960, Elvis and 79 other G.I.s boarded a plane in Frankfurt am Main that took them to New Jersey
On March 5, 1960, Elvis officially and honorably resigned from the U.S. Army