“[U]nwilling to accept authority, and completely lacking in soldierly qualities.”
So said the commanding officer of Jerome J. Garcia during his short stint in the Army in late 1960. Garcia, who later rose to legendary status as the leader of the Grateful Dead, apparently wasn’t suited for a career in the military.
Deadhead alert! Jerry Garcia's newly uncovered military record indicates that he was not quite <checks notes> Army material. Via @Lone_Star_Dead. https://t.co/Tm306kgnd7 pic.twitter.com/h58avWKYqh
— Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) July 9, 2020
Having enlisted at the age of 18 after stealing his mother’s car in 1960, Garcia had a checkered “career” in the Army, with multiple offenses from fighting to going AWOL. While commanding officers tried to find a suitable billet for him, his final commander wrote in a discharge recommendation that “his present defective attitude toward military life” wouldn’t change over time.
Garcia was granted a general discharge in December 1960. In 1965, he became one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead, arguably one of the most popular and influential rock bands in history.
Garcia died in 1995 at the age of 53 due to complications from diabetes.