By Dewey Terrill
JC Post
Command Sergeant Major ( Ret. ) Lloyd Moore, 96, of Junction City helped train Elvis Presley during his service in the Army at Fort Hood, Texas. Moore was part of a cadre of drill sergeants that oversaw basic training at Fort Hood.
Moore served two years in the Navy before spending 20 years from 1950 to 1970 in the Army. After retirement from the military, he worked as an inspector for the City of Junction City, and as a pastor for multiple churches in the United Methodist Church organization.
He worked as a drill sergeant over Presley for about one month after Elvis was drafted into the service. Moore remembered Presley as a "very friendly person," and added, "He was a nice person, a nice young man." During their time at Fort Hood Elvis was treated like all other soldiers, and not as a rock 'n' roll star.
Elvis carried the rank of Specialist 3. "There was no problem with him at all. He wanted to be a tanker, taking armored training, " explained Moore, who also helped teach Elvis map reading and land navigation. "I think it was great to be exposed to a person like that." After Fort Hood Presley was sent by the Army to Germany where he then served.
As for Lloyd Moore he still attends church at the 1st United Methodist Church in Junction City and holds a title of Senior Pastor in the organization. A local couple that he considers like family, Phyllis and David ( Buck ) Gibson, regularly take him to attend church. Lloyd's wife Lillian died in 2015 and his son, Alan Moore, also resides in Junction City.
Lloyd was awarded a Purple Heart for a wound suffered in 1950 in Korea. Today he resides at the Tallgrass Healthcare Complex in Junction City.
On this Veterans Day we salute Lloyd Moore!