Pfc. John Gilgun was an Army buddy of the 'King of Rock and Roll'

Gilgun was the second child of his family. When he was born, his parents named him after his uncle, a decorated veteran of World War II. Gilgun spent his youth in Peace Dale. By the time he had reached age 19, he had graduated from high school and tried his hand at college. Gilgun said he wasn't prepared for the rigors of college and dropped out.

In 1958, the draft was in force and Gilgun decided to confront his obligation. 'I knew I had the draft ahead of me, so I thought, 'Let me get it over with'. I went down to the draft board and said, 'Take me now'. So I was drafted and, coincidentally, Elvis was drafted at the same time'.

While Gilgun was looking for direction in life, Presley had already established his career. He was a movie star and an accomplished musician and singer. Three of his most memorable singles, 'Heartbreak Hotel', 'Don't be Cruel' and 'Love Me Tender', had been released and hit number one on the charts.

Gilgun and Presley would arrive at Fort Hood in Texas for basic training within days of each other in March 1958.

Elvis in the barracks

'We lived in the barracks, of course, during basic training', Gilgun said, 'and Elvis did, too'. Even though he had been offered the opportunity to be part of the Special Services with an obligation to perform on occasion for the armed forces, Presley had opted out, asking for no special considerations. After basic training, Gilgun, Presley and the rest of the division would continue to train for another five months in Texas.

Gilgun remained in the barracks after basic training, but Presley lived off the base with his mother and father. On some days, Gilgun and his mates would 'look out the window and we'd see this convertible with this beautiful blond woman in it', Gilgun said. Elvis' girlfriend at the time, Anita Wood, was a head-turner, and she would often visit. 'All of us would be envious and looking google-eyed at Anita', Gilsun said with a chuckle.

During the day, Gilgun remembers Elvis as 'just a nice guy. He truly was'. He didn't ask for special treatment, and he got along well with other members of the 3rd Armored Division's 1st Medium Tank Battalion.

Gilgun also recalls Presley's generosity. 'Guys used to borrow money from him. He'd lend it to them … and, of course, I'm sure he never got it back'. One day, the tables were turned. 'It was a payday, and we'd get paid in cash in those days. You'd have to line up to go the paymaster alphabetically. … I was ahead of Elvis in line - you know, Gilgun with a 'G' and 'P' for Presley, so I got my cash', Gilgun said. 'And I was walking back into line with my money in my hand and counting it. All of a sudden, Elvis grabbed it out of my hands playfully. 'That's OK, Elvis. If you need a couple of bucks, I'll let you borrow it', and both men enjoyed a laugh together.

Presley lost his mother, Gladys

In August, Presley's mother, Gladys, became ill and he arranged for his parents to return to his home in Memphis. Within a few days of Gladys Presley's return to Tennessee, she was rushed to the hospital and later died. Presley received permission to travel for the funeral but then returned to his unit in Texas.

By mid-September, stateside training had been completed, and Gilgun and Presley were assigned to the 3rd Armored Division in Friedberg, West Germany. The troops were loaded on a train bound for New York, where they would board a ship to cross the Atlantic. It was along the way that Gilgun witnessed Presley's sorrow. 'We had a long layover in Memphis ... and I'll never forget it. ... It was really sad and quite moving'.

'Word got out in Memphis that there was a train down at the train station, and that Elvis was on it', Gilgun said. 'This huge crowd accumulated. I'm sitting there on the train - right near him, as a matter of fact. He remembers the throng of fans that started to grow. Everyone was hoping to get a glimpse of the star. As the train stood on the tracks waiting for a few hours before moving on, Gilgun saw Elvis with 'a steady stream of tears that went down his cheeks for the entire time we were there'.

With each mile that the train moved closer toward the Brooklyn Navy Yard, more people got word of Elvis' impending departure and the crowd at the docks began to swell. Gilgun's older sister, Frances, and his mother were among them. By the time the soldiers boarded their ship bound for Germany, Gilgun said, 'teenagers were screaming from the docks, 'Elvis, Elvis, I love you. Don't go! Don't go!'' From his vantage point on deck, Gilgun saw fans standing on benches who appeared to be on the verge of jumping into the water to follow Elvis across the Atlantic. Thankfully, he said, none were foolish enough to take the plunge.

Life in the 3rd Armored Division in Germany was routine, Gilgun said. 'You got up in the morning and your day's work would be spent in the motor pool where the tanks were parked and you would actually work maintaining that tank, tightening up all the screws and checking it out from top to bottom'.

Both soldiers were drivers

Gilgun was assigned to D Company and Presley was in Headquarters Company, but they still saw each other every day. 'I'd be working on my tank and Elvis would be on his jeep. I was a tank driver and Elvis was a jeep driver'.

As a combat-ready unit during the Cold War, the division's mission was to patrol the border along the Iron Curtain. When Gilgun wasn't patrolling, he was practicing maneuvers. 'Tanks were fully loaded with a 90mm gun and then we had a .50-caliber machine gun, a .30-caliber machine gun, fully loaded with 90mm shells with a cannon and we carried our personal arms - a .45-caliber pistol and a .45-caliber machine gun'. Gilgun was qualified as an expert with all of the weapons.

'There was always the possibility that something could happen', Gilgun said. But there were also some wonderful benefits of being stationed in Germany, especially the food. 'When we were out in the field, doing maneuvers, we would park the tanks in the woods in an area, often outside a small town. The people in the town knew we were there, camped, and they would actually come out with the most wonderful rolls and beer and sausages and sell them to us'.

Gilgun talks about the food as if he could still taste it. 'That bread. Those rolls'. He also enjoyed the locally brewed beer and 'the sausages - bratwurst and knockwurst - it was divine'.

Stand-in for 'The King'

Even in a different country, the locals knew that Elvis Presley was living among them. It was during one of those maneuvers that Gilgun experienced a little of his fellow soldier's celebrity. 'When those locals would come out and sell us the food, they would be looking all over the place [for Presley]. The kids, in particular, would be saying, 'Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley'. ' One day, a fellow soldier responded to the autograph seekers by pointing to Gilgun, saying, 'There he is, over there on the tank'. Gilgun was puzzled because the only physical characteristic he shared with Presley at the time was his stature. 'We were both skinny kids'.

Despite the lack of a resemblance among the two men, Presley's fans rushed Gilgun. 'And they asked for autographs and I signed every one that was put in front of me - 'Elvis Presley'. To this day, there are probably people in Germany who think they have an Elvis Presley autograph but they have a John Gilgun autograph', he said with a laugh. 'It was fun just writing his name and seeing those kids running off, thrilled, thinking they had seen Elvis'.

Gilgun finished his tour of duty a few days before Presley and they never saw each other again. Presley played a date at the Providence Civic Center in May 1977 and Gilgun was given tickets, but he passed them on to a friend who was a huge fan of Elvis' music.

In retrospect, Gilgun wishes he had attended that performance. It would be the second-to-last show in Elvis' storied career before his untimely death.

Originally Published 2021 Providence Journal | providencejournal.com

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