“A lot of people, when they talk about being a true patriot, they talk about being a hawk,” said Stanley. “Well, Elvis was an eagle. He went and served his country… He was drafted, but he proudly served. He loved America. He used to say it was the greatest country in the whole world. He would say, ‘We could never fail because in the Pledge of Allegiance it says, ‘One nation under God.’ And as long as we stay that way, we will remain strong.’ During the Vietnam War, he couldn’t understand how some people wanted to leave America. Our leaders are what got us there. And even if they were wrong, he would still follow our leaders.”
“There were a lot of entertainers wh
o were saying, ‘I want to leave America.’ Whenever Elvis saw that on the news, he would say, ‘Well, I’ll pay for your plane ticket to go if you want to leave.’”
“That bothered Elvis,” Stanley continued. “He didn’t think it was right for an entertainer to speak against the country because the only reason they’re able to do what they do is that they’re in this country… In this country, you have the freedom to pursue your dreams. He was a true patriot. He loved God and his fellow man.”