An Elvis impersonator re-enlisted a first-class petty officer at the MGM Grand Hotel in Connecticut on Sept. 1. // Photo courtesy of Foxwoods Resort Casino
Sailors have chosen esteemed figures, from master chiefs and admirals to astronauts and pro football players, to reenlist them. That circle now includes an Elvis impersonator.
Electronics Technician 1st Class (SS) George Melton, a 26-year-old and self-described Elvis fan, was enlisted Sept. 1 by an Elvis look-a-like at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, in what may be the fleet’s first re-enlistment by an Elvis impersonator.
“I have always been a fan of Elvis,” said Melton, who serves on the attack submarine Missouri and is coming up on his seven-year mark, according to a Navy Newsstand story. “I have read a lot about Elvis and admire how he literally came from nothing to become this American icon.”
Melton, who bears an Elvis tattoo on his left forearm, recited the oath of office read by Elvis impersonator Bill Cherry and reupped for four years while his shipmates looked on. Melton said Elvis was the perfect choice.
“Elvis is an example of the American dream, and he was extremely patriotic,” Melton said. (Sgt. Presley was discharged from active Army duty in 1960, after serving almost two years.)
OK, so who is your ideal re-enlistment officer?
