Lonnie Wolfe and Elvis Presley | U.S. Army Germany

By Robert van Beek
Source: Elvis Australia
February 10, 2018

Lonnie Wolfe was just a 17-year-old running away from home when he joined the U.S. Army in the late 1950s.

Little did he know he would be sharing close quarters with every teen girl's heartthrob - Elvis Presley.

After basic training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina and advanced training in Texas, Wolfe was deployed to Freidburg Germany, in 1959 with the 3rd Armored Division.

Wolfe was assigned to one of 13 jeeps in his armory as a driver. Each jeep carried three soldiers, including the driver, who would go on reconnaissance missions.

In Wolfe's jeep was Sgt. Elvis Presley and another soldier.

Lonnie Wolfe and Elvis Presley.

Elvis Presley, Lonnie Wolfe, and machine gunner SP4 Hall Miller.

Elvis Presley and Lonnie Wolfe.

Elvis Presley, Lonnie Wolfe, and machine gunner SP4 Hall Miller complete the three man recon.

Elvis Presley, Lonnie Wolfe, and machine gunner SP4 Hall Miller.

Elvis Presley in the U.S. Army, relaxing with a guitar.

Elvis Presley.

Lonnie Wolfe: 'He never could get away from people. Once when we'd been in the field for two months, the Company Commander asked us all to clean up. Poor Elvis didn't quite make it into the barracks without being spotted by some cleaning women. They followed him upstairs right into the shower-room and a bunch of guys from privates all the way up to the Colonels joined the parade too. Right when he was taking a shower, people were shoving pieces of paper under the water for him to sign. But he was laughing about it...

Elvis Presley.

Elvis liked the military life because he was treated just like everybody else', Wolfe said. 'He said he'd give up everything just to life a normal life'.

Elvis Presley, with hand gun, in the U.S. Army.

The Lion and the Hillybilly Cat

Ray Barracks also housed the 2nd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery. Their mascot was a lion. According to Lonnie Wolfe the three photos of Elvis with the lion cub as seen below were taken in Friedberg, Germany in late 1959.

Elvis Presley| The Lion and the Hillybilly Cat.

emorial Hospital. There, Elvis was assigned army serial number 53 310 761. After being processed and sworn in, Elvis said his good-byes and Private Presley was bused with the others from Memphis to Fort Chaffee, Arkansas for further processing. There, he received his famous G.I. haircut and coined the phrase 'Hair today, gone tomorrow', in a comment to the news media. He was assigned to the Second Armored Division's 'Hell On Wheels' unit (formerly led by General George Patton) and was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas.

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