March 1960

Sgt. Elvis Presley prepares to leave Germany,

March 1960.

James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

In a spectacular shift of power that critically exposed the flank of U.S. music lovers, the Army returned US53310761 from Germany last week for mustering out at Fort Dix, N.J. Fans mobilized to fighting strength and tuned up their shrieks . . . Elvis was back.

After his two year hitch, rock and roll idol Elvis Presley wore a sergeant’s chevrons but no sideburns. “If I say the Army made a man of me,” he said, “it would give the impression I was an idiot before I was drafted. I wasn’t exactly that.”

Elvis was, in fact, a smart soldier. His agents back home had been pretty smart, too, selling 20 million RCA Victor records to the jukebox set. These earned “The Pelvis” $1.3 million in addition to his $145.24 a month service pay. Elvis paid the U.D. 91% of the total in taxes, or enough to support about 150 of his fellow soldiers for a year.