--- title: Elvis Presley: Photos of the King Leaving the Army, March 1960 description: Rare and classic photos of Elvis Presley in 1960, when he was leaving the Army, returning to the States and ready to again be King. canonical: https://time.com/3638949/return-of-the-king-when-elvis-left-the-army/ author: Ben Cosgrove article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-02-08T22:01:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:06:36.353Z og:title: Elvis Presley: Photos of the King Leaving the Army, March 1960 og:description: Photos of Elvis Presley when he was leaving the Army after a two-year hitch, and ready to again be King. og:url: https://time.com/3638949/return-of-the-king-when-elvis-left-the-army/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt86747765f6721218/69876f9935ba6f4de4c06110/elvis-presley-leaving-the-army-08.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Return of the King: When Elvis Left the Army og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Elvis Presley: Photos of the King Leaving the Army, March 1960 twitter:description: Photos of Elvis Presley when he was leaving the Army after a two-year hitch, and ready to again be King. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt86747765f6721218/69876f9935ba6f4de4c06110/elvis-presley-leaving-the-army-08.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Return of the King: When Elvis Left the Army by [Ben Cosgrove](/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Feb 8, 2014 10:01 PM CUT  Not published in LIFE. Sgt. Elvis Presley at a press conference before leaving Germany, March 1960. Not published in LIFE. Sgt. Elvis Presley at a press conference before leaving Germany, March 1960.James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Feb 8, 2014 10:01 PM CUT It’s intriguing, and more than a little amusing, to imagine contemporary American music stars serving in the military. How would Kanye West fare in the Air Force? Would Adam Levine cut it in the Army? How long would [Eminem](http://www.eminem.com/ "undefined") last in basic training? (Actually, Marshall Mathers would probably stick it out for a while; he’s got some authority issues, of course, but he’s a tough little bastard.) But when a young man who was, at the time, the biggest musical star on the planet was drafted into the United States Army back in 1958, the uniform seemed to fit. Sure, [Elvis Aaron Presley](https://www.elvis.com/ "undefined") often affected a sneer that would drive most drill sergeants to near-apoplexy, and his pompadour was hardly the sort of hairstyle one associated with America’s fighting men. But Elvis was a good ol’ boy, born in Mississippi and raised in Tennessee, and maybe his humble Southern roots allowed for a more seamless transition from pop-culture icon to buck private. Maybe he was eager to serve his country. Maybe he was tired of being an enormously popular and rich rock and roller and simply longed for the anonymity of Army life. (Unlikely, we know.) Whatever the reason, for a couple of years, Elvis Presley looked like he _belonged_ in a uniform — and by all accounts, his brothers in arms saw what he was made of, and accepted him as one of them. It was impossible, of course, for anyone to pretend that Elvis was just another soldier; but he worked hard to fit in and to do what was asked of him, and after two years, when Sgt. Presley was honorably discharged, it was evident that the boy from Tupelo had grown up. It was also evident, though, that Elvis was hardly heartbroken about leaving the military. His two years serving in Germany had shown the world, and had shown Elvis himself, that he could handle something more than a guitar, and could perform tasks that didn’t involve gyrating in front of screaming bobbysoxers. In 1960, it was time to get back to doing what he did best: it was time to leave Sgt. Presley behind, and be _Elvis_ again. Here, LIFE.com presents a series of photos — most of which never ran in LIFE magazine — showing Elvis, along with his 15-year-old girlfriend, Priscilla Beaulieu, in Germany on the day he left for the States (March 2, 1960), and Elvis again at Fort Dix, New Jersey, where he landed on March 3, sans Priscilla. He was officially discharged from the Army on March 5\. These pictures, by LIFE photographers James Whitmore and Al Fenn, capture a moment in Elvis’s life when he was poised to remind everyone who might have doubted it that, despite two years of taking orders, he was ready to again be the King. A few weeks later, in its March 14, 1960, issue, LIFE put it this way to its millions of readers: --- > “” ---  Not published in LIFE. Sgt. Elvis Presley prepares to leave Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Sgt. Elvis Presley prepares to leave Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Sgt. Elvis Presley prepares to leave Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Sgt. Elvis Presley prepares to leave Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Sgt. Elvis Presley at a press conference before leaving Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Sgt. Elvis Presley at a press conference before leaving Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Sgt. Elvis Presley at a press conference before leaving Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Sgt. Elvis Presley at a press conference before leaving Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Sgt. Elvis Presley at a press conference before leaving Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Sgt. Elvis Presley prepares to leave Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Sgt. Elvis Presley peers out of the window of the house he and his family occupied in Bad Nauheim, Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Sgt. Elvis Presley leaves the house he and his family occupied in Bad Nauheim, Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley's grandmother and Priscilla Beaulieu leave the house that Elvis and his family occupied in Bad Nauheim, Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Sgt. Elvis Presley leaves the house he and his family occupied in Bad Nauheim, Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "Priscilla Beaulieu rides in the back seat with Elvis as German fans crowd around the car." March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis and Priscilla leave the house he and his family occupied in Bad Nauheim, Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis and Priscilla leave the house he and his family occupied in Bad Nauheim, Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis and Priscilla leave the house he and his family occupied in Bad Nauheim, Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis and Priscilla leave the house he and his family occupied in Bad Nauheim, Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Sgt. Elvis Presley prepares to leave Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Priscilla Beaulieu, Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. "Priscilla Beaulieu waves to Elvis as plane takes off from Germany for U.S." March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Sgt. Elvis Presley prepares to leave Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Priscilla Beaulieu, Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Priscilla Beaulieu is escorted from the tarmac after saying goodbye to Elvis, Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley fans congregate at the house in which Elvis and his family lived, shortly after he left the house for the last time, Bad Nauheim, Germany, March 1960. James Whitmore—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley fans, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley fan, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley fan, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley fans, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley arrives at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley fans, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley arrives at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley fans, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley arrives at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley fan, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley fans, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley fan, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley fans, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley fan, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley at Fort Dix, New Jersey, shortly before his discharge from the U.S. Army, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley at Fort Dix, New Jersey, shortly before his discharge from the U.S. Army, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley at Fort Dix, New Jersey, shortly before his discharge from the U.S. Army, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley at Fort Dix, New Jersey, shortly before his discharge from the U.S. Army, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley at Fort Dix, New Jersey, shortly before his discharge from the U.S. Army, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley at Fort Dix, New Jersey, shortly before his discharge from the U.S. Army, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley at Fort Dix, New Jersey, shortly before his discharge from the U.S. Army, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley at Fort Dix, New Jersey, shortly before his discharge from the U.S. Army, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley at Fort Dix, New Jersey, shortly before his discharge from the U.S. Army, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley at Fort Dix, New Jersey, shortly before his discharge from the U.S. Army, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley at Fort Dix, New Jersey, shortly before his discharge from the U.S. Army, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley at Fort Dix, New Jersey, shortly before his discharge from the U.S. Army, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley (and, at right, actress Tina Louise) at Fort Dix, New Jersey, shortly before his discharge from the U.S. Army, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley at Fort Dix, New Jersey, shortly before his discharge from the U.S. Army, March 1960. Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not published in LIFE. Elvis Presley at Fort Dix, New Jersey, shortly before his discharge from the U.S. Army, March 1960. 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