Elvis served in the Army after he was already famous

Elvis Presley served in the Army after he was already famous - one of the interesting facts about Elvis Presley. When being a well-known celebrity, he was enlisted in the American military in December 1957. The 23-year-old was enlisted into the Army as a private on March 24, 1958, in front of a lot of media attention, following a brief postponement to finish filming his movie "King Creole."

He went to basic training at Fort Hood in Texas and was assigned to the Second Armored Division. He was still working at Fort Hood in August when he was given an urgent leave to see his ailing mother. Elvis moved out the following month for a duty with the Third Armored Division in Friedberg, West Germany, where he worked as a jeep driver and was getting tons of fan mail.

Presley's life was greatly affected while he was serving. His mother Gladys Presley passed away at the age of 46 from a heart attack brought on by acute hepatitis and cirrhosis not long before he was scheduled to be stationed in Germany. He first met Priscilla Beaulieu when stationed in Friedberg, West Germany, where they would later get married. Due in part to his time spent in the army and his subsequent releases of ballads as opposed to his earlier rock and roll songs, Elvis Presley was able to gain a new fan base among an older age range after leaving the military.