U.S. ARMY PRIVATE #53310761
March 24, 1958—called Black Monday by the media—was a tragic day for rock ’n’ roll fans: At the zenith of a remarkable career, 23-yearold Army draftee Elvis Aron Presley became an ordinary buck private beginning a twoyear commitment to his country’s defense. Elvis was finishing King Creole his fourth movie, in 1957 when his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, procured a deferment for Presley from the Memphis Draft Board until filming was completed. Presley could have agreed to the military’s cushy options— playing for the troops or serving as a recruiting model—but he declined special treatment. His induction won over many former critics—parents, teachers, religious leaders—who had once viewed him as a nuisance or even a threat. He showed no sign of regret on the day that broke millions of teenage hearts. He underwent a physical, took aptitude tests and endured a GI haircut. Assigned as the leader of his group, Presley and a dozen others were bused from Memphis to Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, and soon afterward to Fort Hood, Texas, for basic training. Later, he shipped out for Germany. “People were expecting me to mess up, to goof up in one way or another,” he said later. “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.”
During Elvis’ two-year absence, five previously recorded RCA singles kept him on the Billboard charts.