Elvis and the army

In the 17 years I spent with Elvis, he often talked about his Army days.    Here's what he had to say about those days.   Elvis served his country with pride, he wanted to show the world, he was just a normal guy.   He could have asked for special treatment, but he didn't, that wasn't the type of person he was.  

During his stint in the Army, Elvis was treated like everyone else.  When, he arrived in Germany, he rented a house and brought his family over.  Which any soldier could do, if they had the money.  Most of the stories Elvis told me, were of the patrols he had to do. It was his duty to sit on a hill, in his jeep, and watch a Russian soldier in his vehicle.  Elvis said, every time he had to report for duty, he would wave to the Russian soldier.  The Russian soldier never waved back.  

One time, Elvis was sitting in his jeep, it was very cold.  He tried to walk around, but that didn't warm him up.  Then he had an idea, he took his poncho out, he place it over himself and the jeep, then started the jeep.  It didn't take long, before he warmed up.  He was enjoying the warmth.  The next thing he remembers, he was being shaken.  A soldier was standing over him, saying.  Pvt. Presley wake up!  Wake up soldier!  Elvis came to, he got up off the ground. The soldier asked him, what happened Pvt. Presley?  Elvis told him what he had done.  The soldier said, it's a good thing I came to check on you Private.  You passed out from carbon monoxide poisoning.  It's a miracle you're still alive, Pvt. Presley.

When I got much older sometimes our conversations would be about why he was drafted. I asked, why did they draft you, Elvis?  The Army was pretty much voluntary back then.  He said, I guess the government thought I was a threat to the youth of our nation.  They thought if they put me away for a few years, everyone would forget about me.  I laughed when he told me this.  He looked at me strangely, then asked.  What's so funny about this, Billy.  I said, their plan didn't work, did it.  Then he smiled back, and said.  I guess not.  It did concern him though.  When he came back home, after his stint in the Army, he wasn't sure what his career was going to be like, or if he even had one.  That's why the movie contracts were signed, it guaranteed him, a milliom dollars a movie, 3 movies a year, for the next 7 years. 

In closing, Elvis was happy to serve his country.  He was a good soldier, all of the guys in his unit and his commanding officers liked him. They even joked with him and said, if you can't make out there, you have a career waiting for you, here in the Army, Elvis.   

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