“Don’t be Cruel,” “Jailhouse Rock” and “Hound Dog” are just a few of the titles in the recording catalog of the one billion records sold worldwide by Elvis Presley, but there is one record that has never been sold in any store or purchased by any fan and it stands alone, deserving special recognition.
That is the definitive record of the transition of Presley from “King” to “Private during his three day stay at then Camp Chaffee in 1958.
That record will now be preserved for all time in a special, limited edition book entitled “A Record of Service” chronicling every move Elvis made at the base from initial haircut to assignment to Company A, 2nd Medium Tank Battalion, 37th Armor, stationed at Fort Hood, Texas.
But this is not just any book. The Fort Smith Public School Foundation is funding the publication through a grant of $930 which will pay the costs of printing of 40 copies to be distributed to each elementary, junior high high school, alternative school and the adult education center in Fort Smith and Barling as well as all of the public libraries in district.
In addition, a copy will be placed in the museum at Chaffee Crossing.
The haircut actually inspired a museum that is located at Chaffee Crossing and is a popular destination for Elvis fans worldwide.
The book is being compile to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the “Haircut Felt Around the Word” that occurred on March 24, 1958. There are currently no plans to make the book available to the general public.
Presley’s overseas service took place in Germany from Oct. 1, 1958, until March 2, 1960, as a member of the 1st Medium Tank Battalion, 32nd Armor.
For the first five days of that period he belonged to Company D of the battalion, and thereafter to the battalion’s Headquarters Company at Friedberg.
The “King of Rock and Roll” left active duty at Fort Dix, New Jersey, on March 5, 1960, and received his discharge from the Army Reserve on March 23, 1964 but “A Record of Service” will focus strictly on the three days he spent at Camp Chaffee, making the book a unique historical reference source for Elvis enthusiasts.
The Fort Smith Public Schools Foundation, Inc. is an independent, non-profit corporation created to enhance the quality of education in the Fort Smith Public Schools by providing the money necessary for programs not otherwise funded by the Fort Smith Public School District.
