ELVIS PRESLEY RECOLLECTIONS


BG Raymond E. Bell, Jr. PhD U.S. Army, Retired


On a recent early summer evening West Point professor Colonel Brian Novoselich and his wife Janet held a “1960’s” pool- side party under a towering oak tree. Leaning up against the tree was a large cardboard photograph of Elvis Presley standing on a surfboard. Why was the iconic Elvis there? And what was the Colonel Novoselich connection, if any, to him?


That image of Elvis also stoked some unusual, some not so unusual, recollec- tions of Elvis for me. It struck me that Elvis was trained as an armor trooper in the late 1950‘s and early 1960’s. His basic training as a tanker was at Fort Hood, Texas. Colonel Novoselich had been a unit commander at Fort Hood before his tenure at West Point. His assignment there had been extensive. Since Elvis “lives,” his initial service at Fort Hood, like that evening near West Point, could hardly be forgotten.


And that service also prompted another recollection which may or may not be true or accurate but is part of the legend. Elvis turned out to be a great soldier, re- spected especially by those who were in his overseas tank battalion, the 1st Medium Tank Battalion, 32nd Armor, 3rd Armored Division stationed at Ray Bar- racks, outside Friedberg, then West Ger- many. But he almost did not make it there according to at least one source.


At Fort Hood during basic training he, along with a cohort of draftees went through the ritual activities. The young men of his cohort were, like Elvis, from the southern states and many of them made top notch soldiers in their two years in the army. But they all had their foibles, one of which came to life for Elvis on the hand grenade range. After practicing throwing dummy grenades, each trooper got the chance to throw a live one.


Elvis’s time to make the final throw came. In the live fire throwing pit standing next to him was Second Lieutenant Anthony


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Solberg, a West Point graduate. Solberg had been an exemplary cadet and would turn out to be an outstanding armor officer. At the moment, however, he was the safety officer on the grenade range. He was about to do Elvis’ present and future audience a great favor.


Elvis assumed the correct throwing posi- tion next to Solberg and prepared to throw the live grenade. The small pin holding the grenade’s arming handle in place had been pulled. He lifted his arm to release the deadly weapon’s handle and throw it. But he didn’t, or couldn’t. Instead quick thinking Solberg grabbed the grenade and threw it down range. Imagine what would have happened to the legendary Elvis, and Solberg as well, if that live gre- nade had gone off in Elvis’ hand.


The grenade story, true or not, is one of my recollections that puts the others of Elvis as an armor trooper in context. I never had a conversation with him, but I was aware of his presence in the tank battalion. Prior to my joining “A” Com- pany of the 32nd Armor as a platoon leader in 1959 he had been a tank crew member and reputedly an expert one. But his presence in that role proved to be an unsettling one, not in a disturbing way, but because it was obvious of his special reputation and growing fame in the late 1950’s and early ‘60’s.


But Elvis was not one to shun his duty and responsibilities and an appropriate place for him in the battalion presented itself. He could be a productive soldier while not claiming exceptional privileges, so that place needed to be one which he could fulfill his service obligations. So it was that he became the driver of the battalion’s scout platoon leader, a singular position which demanded high performance but gave Elvis a certain amount of independence.


There are many stories about Elvis’ ser- vice as an armor trooper. The ones I re- member best are shared by others. In line with his performance I remember that of others who had been drafted at the same time he was. I had two tank


commanders, for example, who were top notch soldiers. They held down positions which called for experienced middle grade sergeants but who, because of service time restrictions they could not be promoted to those grades or receive pay for those grades. They could be made so-called “acting jacks” or temporary sergeants and wear sergeants’ stripes and be accorded those privileges. Elvis, too, was among that group and thus ac- corded certain privileges that were low key in nature but not available to others.


One unbegrudged privilege was living off post and outside Ray Barracks. He was billeted in a hotel in nearby Bad Nauheim with his entourage led by a “Kentucky Colonel” Parker who was his business manager and advisor. When Elvis was off duty he spent time with that group but as far as I could ascertain never engaged in the business of song while he was stationed in Germany. Along with his living in a hotel he also drove a large white expensive automobile when off duty. But in spite of the temptations of his style of off duty living he never let it interfere with his duty obligations.


His scout platoon leader, an experienced First Lieutenant Richard Coffman, had no problem having the celebrity working for him. But there were unusual occasions which must have impacted on their rela- tionship. Imagine the task of posting a battalion route of march requiring the establishing of check points along the way. When the battalion moved, all the people in the countryside knew it and they all knew that Elvis was also on the move. Since the route of march was often the same, the people, especially the young girls, knew what the check points were. If you wanted to know where Elvis was look for a gaggle of girls surrounding a quarter ton truck parked off to the side at some crossroads. If the Soviet spies were looking for a propaganda coup they might well have seen such a sight as a possible obvious target. As it was Elvis at the check point was an amusing tale.


Elvis left his assignment as the scout pla- toon leader’s driver wearing sergeant’s


CAVALRY & ARMOR JOURNAL Spring 2026


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