Resident recalls Army days with Elvis

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — Every time Elvis Presley fans find out Johnny Lang knew the superstar personally, they ask him the same question: “What was he like?”

Lang, 87, never hesitates to respond.

“Nothing but heart,” the Harrison Township resident said. “He was wonderful, just wonderful.”

Lang became friends with Presley — dubbed the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll — when they were both drafted into the U.S. Army, serving from 1958-60 in Germany. By the time Presley began his military stint, the singer already had several hits under his blue suede shoes, including “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Love Me Tender” and “Hound Dog.”

Lang’s bond with Presley was so special that he wrote the book “My Army Days with Elvis: Friendship, Football, & Follies,” released in January 2023. After the book came out, Lang did an autograph session at his regular hangout: the Alibi Inn in Clinton Township. On Aug. 8, the author shared his stories during an Elvis Presley themed event held at the Recreational Authority of Roseville and Eastpointe’s Senior Center.

“The first time I saw Elvis was at the firing range. Everybody said, ‘Hey, Johnny, there’s Elvis Presley.’ I said, ‘I ain’t bothering him. No way,’” said Lang, a 1955 graduate of St. Mary’s High School in Royal Oak. “He was about 100 yards away from me and that was it. But the second time I saw him, I’m on the train going from Fort Hood, Texas, to New Jersey because we’re shipping out to Germany.”

It was fellow soldier Charlie Hodge, a musician himself who later became part of Presley’s “Memphis Mafia” entourage, who insisted Lang say hello. He did and spent about 15 minutes talking to the music icon. Lang and Presley met a third time while sailing the Atlantic Ocean aboard the USS Randall. That’s when they became pals.

“We spent 10 days on the boat,” Lang said. “That’s when I really got to know him. I got to know him as a person, not a movie star.”

One favorite memory on the ship was an impromptu performance from Presley after Lang found a piano “in this great big room.” At first, the place was empty. But as soon as Presley began belting out songs and tickling the ivories, the other soldiers packed the room for the mini concert.

“He started out really slow. Then in a flash, man, he got into it. The performer took over and he started banging the hell out of that piano,” Lang wrote in his memoir. “Everybody was clapping and cheering.”

 

G.I. Blues
According to Lang, Presley didn’t ask for any special treatment because of his fame.

“Elvis was in a tank outfit. He went in as a regular army soldier and stayed that way until he got discharged,” Lang said. “I was in the scout platoon. I babysat a 30-caliber machine gun. My job was to find the enemy and go back and report it.”

Lang lived in the barracks with his comrades, but Presley rented a house. Lang spent a lot of time there. There were dances and billiards. Presley’s charisma always stood out.

“With blue eyes and pitch-black hair, he had a God-like face,” Lang said. “He was beautiful.”

And there was a silly side to the megastar.

“We did a lot of clowning around and kidding around. A lot of people don’t realize he was funny as hell,” Lang said. “He had a sense of humor that wouldn’t quit. He had the greatest laugh.”

Sports were another pastime. When off duty, the group tossed around the football. Lang usually took on the position of halfback. Presley was the quarterback.

“He had a great arm,” Lang remembered.

The football games always drew a crowd. Followers of Presley would hang out on the sidelines for autographs, and the music idol always obliged.

“Without my fans, I’d have nothing,” Presley told Lang. “Sometimes on Saturday afternoons, he’d have fans come over. He’d sit and sign autographs. He loved his fans, and they loved him.”

The Grammy winner also had a reputation for being generous with his friends. One way he showed his love was buying them presents. Lang still has two gifts he received from Presley: a Ronson lighter and a watch engraved with the words “To Johnny From Elvis.”

At the time the entertainer was overseas, there was talk that his popularity would wane. But judging by the 10,000 letters he received every week, the legend with the swiveling hips from Tupelo, Mississippi, was still the King. He received so much fan mail, it filled an entire room in the house.

 

‘All the memories came flooding back.’
Lang’s home is decorated with Presley memorabilia, including old photos, plates, statues, ornaments and posters.

“They call this Graceland II,” Lang said, referring to Presley’s Memphis estate.

Lang didn’t see Presley after leaving the service. He got married at age 26, had five children and worked 30 years as a steelworker for J&L Steel in Warren. He was at a union meeting on Aug. 16, 1977, when he heard the news that Presley died.

“My ex-wife called me. She said you might want to sit down,” Lang recalled. “I cried like a baby. It hit me like a ton of bricks. All the memories came flooding back.”

Lang periodically thought about writing a book about Presley over the years. He got serious about it after the release of the 2022 film “Elvis,” starring Austin Butler as Presley and Tom Hanks as his manager, Col. Tom Parker.

“I saw the movie with my children and grandkids,” he said. “Austin Butler was unbelievable. I had tears in my eyes.”

Lang has four daughters, Lisa, Nicole, Monique, and Vanessa, and one son, Jeffrey. At the encouragement of Jeffrey, Lang wrote “My Army Days with Elvis: Friendship, Football, & Follies.”

“I’m proud of all my children,” said Lang, who dedicated the book to Nicole, who has special needs.

“This project was wonderfully cathartic for my father. It allowed him to lace together many short, anecdotal stories, blanketed in warmth and humor,” Jeffrey Lang wrote in the book’s foreword. “I’m pleased that folks all over can now get a glimpse into that brief but memorable time in my dad’s life.”

“My Army Days with Elvis: Friendship, Football, & Follies” is available on amazon.com. To contact Johnny Lang, email MyArmyDaysWithElvis@gmail.com or call (248) 830-8811.