Like all fit and young men, entertainer Elvis Presley had to serve in the United States Army. He was already a famous personality during that time and had the option to serve as an entertainer for the troops. However, he chose to serve as a regular soldier. Learn more on this edition of Flashbacks on Film.
In 1953 at the age of 18, Elvis Presley registered to serve in the military for 2 years of active duty and 4 years in the reserves. He was then given a Selective Service Number. After his high school graduation, he went on to become an entertainer, appearing in films and performing at concerts. He was one of the biggest stars during that time.
In 1957, he went for an army physical examination to know if he was fit to be drafted to the army. There was plenty of talk on how Elvis would serve in the army. There were bids on services to be offered by Elvis and he was also offered to be enlisted on special services (entertaining troops, given priority housing, etc.), but he turned them all down. He didn’t want any special treatments and opted to serve in the Army like a regular soldier.
He was drafted on March 24, 1958 and was stationed in Texas. Elvis went through training just like any other soldier. That same year, he was assigned to be part of the Third Armored Spearhead Division and stationed to Germany. During his time with the Army, he did everything he was tasked to do and even more, so that others could see that he didn’t receive special treatments. The photo above shows Elvis, together with other soldiers Friedberg, Germany.