Hendrix joined the army instead of going to prison after being twice arrested for riding in a stolen car. He was assigned to 101st Airborne Division and stationed in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. While he is considered the master of the guitar his fellow soldiers considered him to be a below average soldier. Often sleeping while on duty, a poor marksman and no regard for the regulations of the army saw that commanding officers sought a discharge after he completed only one years service.
Hendrix did not file any objections when the opportunity arose to leave though he would later tell others that he was discharged on medical grounds. Charles Cross the author of ‘Room Full of Mirrors (the Hendrix biography) claims that Hendrix faked being a homosexual saying that he was in love a fellow soldier in order to be discharged.
Jimi disliked talking about his time in the army and only mentioned it in three recorded interviews and those times were all of how much he hated the army. Maybe a blessing for us all that Jimi Hendrix wasn’t a natural born killer.
