From music to the military

In 1958, Elvis traded his army of screaming fans for the US Army.

The King of Rock and Roll served as a regular soldier rather than serve in the Special Services division to entertain the troops with his singing, a decision which earned him widespread respect.

Elvis was stationed in Germany for much of his service and rose to the rank of Sergeant before he left in March 1960.

Years later, he reflected: “I was in a funny position. Actually, that's the only way it could be. People were expecting me to mess up, to goof up in one way or another. 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.”