He joined the Army (Hendrix joined the army in form of punishment)

Before he was 19, Jimi Hendrix was caught twice riding in stolen cars. He was offered the option of receiving a set amount of time in jail or joining the army as a punishment for this, and he selected the latter. He was then sent to Fort Campbell in Kentucky.

Hendrix asked for his guitar to be sent to him in letters to his father, expressing his continuous terror at the circumstance. His father complied, and the guitar eventually became both his obsession and his escape from the Army environment. Hendrix highlighted his passion for music in his letters to his father by requesting the delivery of his guitar. Later, the guitar served as both his escape from the army world and his fixation after his father complied and mailed it.

He was nonetheless subjected to criticism and jeers from his friends, who even took away his instrument. His guitar was taken away by his peers as a means of abuse and mocking. After eventually receiving his guitar back, Hendrix began giving concerts at the Army base's nightclubs. An authority determined him unable to serve, and he was discharged from the Army.