In 1957 , Elvis Presley was draft into the United States Army . By that time , he had already memorialize and release hits like " Heartbreak Hotel , " " Blue Suede Shoes , " and " Hound Dog , " and was one of the biggest celebrities in the body politic . Despite being deemed eligible for Special Services , a Emily Post that would have had him merely harbor the soldiery , Elvis opt to serve like a veritable soldier ( a move that turn out to be a boon for his public image ) . In the news of this newsreel , " Uncle Sam does n’t work favorites " :
On March 24 , 1958 , Elvis officially recruit the U.S. Army . His two - year stint took him overseas , and he served in West Germany from October 1 , 1958 until March 2 , 1960 as a member of the 1st Medium Tank Battalion , 32d Armor , where he was eventually promoted to Sergeant .
It was there , near Giessen , that Colin Powell , the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State , was serve as a new lieutenant in the 3rd Armored Division . He met Elvis on a wooded route , andrecalls pass into him to the BBC : " He served his land for two class , I witness him in the sphere , I ran across him in the woods while he was doing what every other Gb does . " He remember Elvis as being " grubby " and " weary - looking " at the sentence of their meeting , but still polite and disciplined , pledge Powell and shaking his hand . " He was thought of well enough by his commanders that he was advance from individual to sergeant , " Powell tell . " What impressed me at the time was that instead of essay celebrity intervention , Elvis had done his two - yr check , uncomplainingly , as an ordinary Gb , even rising to the duty of an NCO . "
In his autobiography , Powell mentions that the only time his children " perked up " when listening to his state of war stories was upon hear this anecdote about meeting Elvis . " That their father had escape from the King ’s hand amaze my kids . "
Powell of course , would outride in the military machine and rise up to the rank of four - star general . Elvis , meanwhile , returned to " normal " civilian life in 1960 . " The first thing I have to do , " he said in his first post - Army interview , " is to switch off some records . And then after that I have the television show with Frank Sinatra . "
