McAllister, Brian Linn

OUR SYNOPSIS: Brian McAllister Linn foregrounds Elvis Presley being drafted into the U.S. Army in 1957 as a jumping off point for analyzing Cold War America. He examines how Presley and other Cold War GIs featured in the reshaping of the Army after World War II. He argues that alongside a revolution in military affairs, Presley’s service embodied a social revolution. Indeed, “This military transformation was accompanied by an equally revolutionary social transformation involving conscription, racial integration, character guidance, social engineering, and many other changes.” (48-49) The Korean War was a catalyst for these changes and revitalized the Army. The conscription it started continued throughout the Cold War and generated debates about military service and American identities. Meanwhile, the Army adapted itself to the atomic era with new weapons, strategies, and professionalized roles. A significant part of what made Presley’s service so popular that “he insisted on being treated like a regular GI.” (141) He thus ensured that he represented the Cold War GI experience, just as Americans viewed his service as exemplifying that all men should serve if called upon. Linn emphasizes that Presley and colleagues went through standardized training for atomic warfare, together developing essential skills “for unprecedented levels of violence and destruction.” (191) However, by the 1960s the Army shifted away from its focus on atomic warfare. Presley also became part of the Army’s public relations and indoctrination campaigns.