Elvis in The Army. On the way to Germany
After completing his basic training at Fort Hood, Texas, Elvis set foot on German soil for the first time as a U.S. Army soldier on October 1, 1958.
Elvis had departed on the ship “General Randall,” which left the Brooklyn Army Terminal in New York on September 22, 1958, and arrived at Columbus Quay in Bremerhaven on Wednesday, October 1, 1958, along with his division and more than 1,000 other American soldiers.
Elvis was greeted by a crowd of enthusiastic fans, shouting and waving at him. It was impressive to see how the police couldn’t contain the avalanche of young fans wanting to reach their idol. His fans always adored Elvis, just as Elvis adored them, as he never denied them an autograph, a nod, or a smile. He lived for them. A huge array of press and photographers were also waiting to welcome him and cover the news.
There, a train was waiting for them to leave Bremerhaven. That was the train that would take him to his new unit in the 32nd U.S. Tank Regiment in Friedberg, where he would spend the next 18 months of his life, at Ray Barracks, far from the world he had worked so hard to build and which had crumbled in every way… including the fateful death of his beloved mother on August 14th, while he was still at Ford Hood, undergoing basic training, which forever shattered his life.
A curious anecdote that took place the day Elvis arrived in Bremerhaven was when he was getting off the ship and crossing the gangplank, with his duffel bag on his shoulder. A 16-year-old fan, Helge Rotenberg, managed to jump all the police barriers and climb the gangplank in his quest to get an autograph from Elvis, his idol! When he managed to escape the German police and the American military police and reach Elvis, he got Elvis to smile and take the paper and pen… but with such bad luck, Elvis only had his left hand free and couldn’t hold the pen, which unfortunately fell to the ground… so Helge, despite all his efforts, couldn’t get his precious autograph.
After his feat, bad luck meant that the young man couldn’t fulfill his dream of having Elvis’s autograph, although he did manage, at least, to reach his idol. Photographers and cameras immortalized this moment.
Below you can see the video of his arrival in Bremerhaven and the interview he conducted.
Article written and provided by Rosa García Mora. https://www.facebook.com/rosa.garciamora.12
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