Elvis Presley was inducted into the U.S. Army on Friday March 24, 1958. Elvis
was one of thirteen inductees that day. Among them were Farley R.
Guy, Elvis' old friend from his days living at Lauderdale Courts, as well as
Donald "Rex" Mansfield and William R. "Nervous" Norvell, who would become close
friends to Elvis during his Army service.
As their military bus pulled out of Memphis from Kennedy Veterans Hospital
headed toward Ft. Chaffee, Arkansas, hundreds of fans in an endless caravan of
cars escorted them across town and over the bridge into Arkansas. Many would
follow all the way to Ft. Chaffee.
After processing at Ft. Chaffee, six of the thirteen, Elvis included, were given
orders to report to Ft. Hood, Texas for basic training. Ft. Hood is located near
Killeen, Texas and was named in honor of Confederate General John Bell Hood and
his renowned Texas Brigade. General Hood was a distant ancestor of Elvis on his
paternal grandmother Minnie Mae Hood Presley's side. Elvis received basic and
advanced tank training at Ft. Hood serving with the 2nd. Armored "Hell On
Wheels" Division made famous by General George Patton during World War II.
(General Patton was someone Elvis admired his entire life and Elvis would often
quote him.) After training at Ft. Hood he was transferred to the 3rd. Armored
Division "Spearheads" in Germany where he served for eighteen months.
Colin Powell served a long and illustrious career in the U.S. military and is
today a respected statesman currently serving as Secretary of State in the
George Bush administration. In his memoirs "My American Journal," Powell tells
of relating Army stories to his children "who only perked up at one story." The
story was of his serving in Germany as an Army lieutenant in 1960. He recalled
one day on maneuvers:
"'Hey, Lieutenant,' one of my men shouted. 'Come on over. Look who's here.' I
walked over to the jeep, where a grimy, weary-looking sergeant saluted me and
put out his hand. It was Elvis Presley. That their father had shaken the King's
hand astonished my kids. What impressed me at the time was that instead of
seeking celebrity treatment, Elvis had done his two-year hitch, uncomplainingly,
as an ordinary GI, even rising to the responsibility of an NCO."