Author: Brian McAllister Linn
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674973755
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 455
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Book Description
When the U.S. Army drafted Elvis Presley in 1958, it quickly set about transforming the King of Rock and Roll from a rebellious teen idol into a clean-cut GI. Trading in his gold-trimmed jacket for standard-issue fatigues, Elvis became a model soldier in an army facing the unprecedented challenge of building a fighting force for the Atomic Age. In an era that threatened Soviet-American thermonuclear annihilation, the army declared it could limit atomic warfare to the battlefield. It not only adopted a radically new way of fighting but also revamped its equipment, organization, concepts, and training practices. From massive garrisons in Germany and Korea to nuclear tests to portable atomic weapons, the army reinvented itself. Its revolution in warfare required an equal revolution in personnel: the new army needed young officers and soldiers who were highly motivated, well trained, and technologically adept. Drafting Elvis demonstrated that even this icon of youth culture was not too cool to wear the army’s uniform. The army of the 1950s was America’s most racially and economically egalitarian institution, providing millions with education, technical skills, athletics, and other opportunities. With the cooperation of both the army and the media, military service became a common theme in television, music, and movies, and part of this generation’s identity. Brian Linn traces the origins, evolution, and ultimate failure of the army’s attempt to transform itself for atomic warfare, revealing not only the army’s vital role in creating Cold War America but also the experiences of its forgotten soldiers.
Author: William J. Taylor, Jr.
Publisher: Presidio Press
ISBN: 9780891416272
Category : Rock musicians
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
"Elvis trained hard, partied hard, and won the respect of his comrades in arms. The author depicts this with poignant word snapshots from what were the happiest days in the life of this American Icon" ("Publishers Weekly"). "Taylor's anecdotal book shows Elvis as an excellent soldier and a respectful, sensitive, regular guy".--"Kirkus Reviews". Photos.
Author: Brian McAllister Linn
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674737687
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 455
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Book Description
When the U.S. Army drafted Elvis Presley in 1958, it quickly set about transforming the King of Rock and Roll from a rebellious teen idol into a clean-cut GI. Trading in his gold-trimmed jacket for standard-issue fatigues, Elvis became a model soldier in an army facing the unprecedented challenge of building a fighting force for the Atomic Age. In an era that threatened Soviet-American thermonuclear annihilation, the army declared it could limit atomic warfare to the battlefield. It not only adopted a radically new way of fighting but also revamped its equipment, organization, concepts, and training practices. From massive garrisons in Germany and Korea to nuclear tests to portable atomic weapons, the army reinvented itself. Its revolution in warfare required an equal revolution in personnel: the new army needed young officers and soldiers who were highly motivated, well trained, and technologically adept. Drafting Elvis demonstrated that even this icon of youth culture was not too cool to wear the army’s uniform. The army of the 1950s was America’s most racially and economically egalitarian institution, providing millions with education, technical skills, athletics, and other opportunities. With the cooperation of both the army and the media, military service became a common theme in television, music, and movies, and part of this generation’s identity. Brian Linn traces the origins, evolution, and ultimate failure of the army’s attempt to transform itself for atomic warfare, revealing not only the army’s vital role in creating Cold War America but also the experiences of its forgotten soldiers.
Author: Andreas Schroer
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0060099429
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 12
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Book Description
"A comprehensive examination of Elvis Presley's years in Germany as an American GI-with hundreds of never-before-seen photographs and revelations from Elvis intimates."--Book jacket front flap.
Author: Rex Mansfield
Publisher: ECW Press
ISBN: 1550225456
Category : Armed Forces
Languages : en
Pages : 294
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Book Description
Rex Mansfield and Elisabeth Mansfield live in Tennessee. Marshall Terrill is the author of Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel and Flight of the Hawk: The Aaron Pryor Story. Zoe Terrill is a pop culture historian. They live in Mesa, Arizona.
Author: Beth Bailey
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674035364
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 352
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Book Description
" ... the story of the all-volunteer force, from the draft protests and policy proposals of the 1960s through the Iraq War"--Jacket.
Author: Neil Cossar
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781783055104
Category : Rock music
Languages : en
Pages : 400
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Book Description
Births, deaths and marriages, No1 singles, drug busts and arrests, famous gigs and awards... all these and much more appear in this fascinating 50 year almanac.Using a page for every day of the calendar year, the author records a variety of rock and pop events that took place on a given day of the month across the years.This Day in Music is fully illustrated with hundreds of pictures, cuttings and album covers, making this the must-have book for any pop music fan.
Author: Ginger Alden
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0425266346
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 401
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Book Description
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Elvis Presley’s fiancée and last love tells her story and sets the record straight in this deeply personal memoir that reveals what really happened in the final years of the King of Rock n' Roll. Elvis Presley and Graceland were fixtures in Ginger Alden’s life; after all, she was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. But she had no idea that she would play a part in that enduring legacy. For more than three decades Ginger has held the truth of their relationship close to her heart. Now she shares her unique story… In her own words, Ginger details their whirlwind romance—from first kiss to his stunning proposal of marriage. And for the very first time, she talks about the devastating end of it all and the fifty thousand mourners and reporters who descended on Graceland in 1977, exposing Ginger to the reality of living in the spotlight of a short yet immortal life. Above it all, Ginger rescues Elvis from the hearsay, rumors, and tabloid speculations of his final year by shedding a frank yet personal light on a very public legend. From a unique and intimate perspective, she reveals the man—complicated, romantic, fallible, and human—behind the myth, a superstar worshipped by millions and loved by Ginger Alden. INCLUDES PHOTOS
Author: Mathias Haeussler
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350107670
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 225
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Book Description
Elvis Presley stands tall as perhaps the supreme icon of 20th-century U.S. culture. But he was perceived to be deeply un-American in his early years as his controversial adaptation of rhythm and blues music and gyrating on-stage performances sent shockwaves through Eisenhower's conservative America and far beyond. This book explores Elvis Presley's global transformation from a teenage rebel figure into one of the U.S.'s major pop-cultural embodiments from a historical perspective. It shows how Elvis's rise was part of an emerging transnational youth culture whose political impact was heavily conditioned by the Cold War. As well as this, the book analyses Elvis's stint as G.I. soldier in West Germany, where he acted as an informal ambassador for the so-called American way of life and was turned into a deeply patriotic figure almost overnight. Yet, it also suggests that Elvis's increasingly synonymous identity with U.S. culture ultimately proved to be a double-edged sword, as the excesses of his superstardom and personal decline seemingly vindicated long-held stereotypes about the allegedly materialistic nature of U.S. society. Tracing Elvis's story from his unlikely rise in the 1950s right up to his tragic death in August 1977, this book offers a riveting account of changing U.S. identities during the Cold War, shedding fresh light on the powerful role of popular music and consumerism in shaping images of the United States during the cultural struggle between East and West.
Author: Rex Mansfield
Publisher: Pub Marketing Group
ISBN: 9783922932017
Category : Singers
Languages : en
Pages : 163
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Book Description
