My encounter with Elvis.

It's Elvis' birthday. Today (the 8th) . I feel sort of a kinship with Elvis. We were born in the same year. 1935. Wow! That's beginning to feel like ancient times. Anyway, Elvis and I crossed paths. When we were young. And in the Army. In Germany. Both of us were in the 3rd Armored Division. Elvis was in what we called a line outfit outside of Frankfurt. He was a real soldier. A model soldier. I was more a pretend soldier. At division headquarters. In the public information office. We handled all press inquiries about Elvis. Lots of 'em. Elvis was still an unspoiled guy. Unaffected by drugs. And by his celebrity status. Elvis was to become very, very famous. Maybe that was what did him in. That was a lot of pressure. A lot of stress. Back in 1959 and 1960, Elvis still had the easy life. A soldier in Germany. Maybe he would have been happier if he had settled down with a little fraulein and lived out his life quietly in Germany. He might still be living today. --Jim Broede