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U.S. Army Will Present Elvis Estate With Long-Lost Medal

December 21, 2006 | Other
According to a posting on the 2nd To None Messageboard the U.S. Army is going to give Elvis Presley a medal as a birthday present. Representatives from the Army will present the Elvis estate with a special certificate and medal, which Elvis earned but never received. It's in recognition of his Army service during the Cold War. The presentation will come complete with a formal color guard ceremony and will be held on Graceland's front lawn on Jan. 8, Presley's birthday.
Source:Elvis 2nd To None
MauriceColgan wrote on December 21, 2006
Looks like Elvis's birthday may make the international news because of the US Army at Graceland! Prepare yourself for some neat headlines! Perhaps now we will get the statue of Sergeant Elvis Presley covered in an article in the "Stars and Stripes! US Army newspaper on the 16th August 2002? And reported in a newspaper here in Irelandtoo.
Mystery Rider wrote on December 21, 2006
very interesting, i'd like to see this medal i didnt get one during my service in the cold war for the 18 months i spent a fliegerhorst kaserne in hanau germany.
see see rider wrote on December 22, 2006
Very, Very deserving..but I wonder why Elvis never received it before he died??
vegaselvisfan wrote on December 22, 2006
i did a search at google for 'cold war medal'. seems this is a recent idea. it is not a 'standard issue' medal. it is not authorized for wear on active duty uniforms. you have to apply via the army to get the items. i cannot post links here, so do the same search i did and read up on it. you 'll find where to apply, if you want one. i proudly served my country in the navy 1976-1996. i recvd medals for superior performance and that counts plenty for me. i knew i was part of the 'cold war' -- serving in top secret installations made that very clear to me! i never thought i deserved a special medal for that. the importance of the work i was doing was enough. but now i m retired and dont feel the need ... but, it is very cool for elvis to get this medal, considering he was at a 'hot spot' of the cold war. i think he would feel very honored to get it.
EspenK wrote on December 22, 2006
To me this sounds like nothing but a pretty pathetic PR-stunt from an army that's in the recent years pretty much lost their international goodwill. I mean, c'mon, right after even the most fanatic Bush-admirers admit that the US Army are losing the war and done huge mistakes thats costs lives every single day, all of a sudden they want to honor Elvis... Coincidense? I think not. "Look, Elvis were one of us, we cant be that bad then, can we?"... Elvis should be kept out of politics, EPE should say "thanks but no thanks".
PaulFromFrance wrote on December 22, 2006
It seems as the army is good in the "public relation" field. Oh well... this kind of news is hard to handle. No need to say I agree with EspenK.
Nashnet wrote on December 22, 2006
I think this would be embarrassing for Elvis had he received such attention from the Army while he was still alive. I'm embarrassed for him now. Does he deserve it? Well, if the Army says he earned it- then of course. Is the Army going to do the same for all the veterans- living and dead- who served during the Cold War? I'm a Vietnam veteran. Is the Army going to come to my house with pomp and ceremony and present me this metal? This is nothing but a PR stunt folks- SHAME!
byebye wrote on December 22, 2006
Tactical miscalculate is allways a risk at war, especially a war against terrorism. Elvis being rewarded for post army services in Germany 1958 is not far from present situations to take place in the future when war ends. Elvis deserves a medal, since I personally dont think that his Uncle Sam army drafting was a coincidence. He paid his dues politically. And all though he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut, I´m positive that he would recieve this medal with honour.
JerryNodak wrote on December 22, 2006
So Elvis is in line for some POSITIVE publicity concerning a part of his life (his Army service) and right away certain people want to look for the NEGATIVE.. Why, why, why???
PTCJones wrote on December 23, 2006
Have to agree JerryNodak, it's such a pity that there is negativity about this. I respect all veterans, but the fact is that when we live in a world where fame & fortune can buy you out of anything, Elvis did his bit (which you can't say about some stars, even ones that portray themselves as heroes on the silver screen). Even though he could have made it easy on himself, he chose to serve like everyone else. Also, he put a lot of effort into projects like the Pearl Harbor Memorial and although this medal is not associated with that, I think it's a great tribute to the man. Even if it is it is a shameless PR stunt, I can't imagine waves of new recruits joining up after this.
Steve V wrote on December 23, 2006
It puts Elvis and his Army service ( a thing many non-fans really forget about) which came at the height of his fame in a good light. Let's appreciate it.