Yes, Ebbie, thanks for reminding us about the death of Elvis' mother. They *were* extraordinarily close indeed. The fact that Elvis was a twin -- his brother was either stillborn or died as an infant -- seems to have something to do with the psychology of their relationship.

I'm not so sure Elvis could have gotten out of the draft. He was a controversial public figure and I'm sure that many politicians wanted to make an example of him. Plus which, he trusted his manager, Col. Parker, who figured that Elvis's image would be best served by a patriotic response on his part, asking for no special privileges, etc.