Before he was a guitar god, Jimi Hendrix had a brief and unremarkable career in the U.S. Army. In 1961, after being caught riding in stolen cars, he was given a choice between prison or the military. He enlisted and was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division as a paratrooper. However, Hendrix was a poor soldier who often shirked his duties to play guitar and was frequently found sleeping on the job. His commanding officers described him as having 'no interest' in the service. After about a year, he was honorably discharged, officially due to a back injury sustained during a parachute jump, though some biographers suggest the military was simply happy to let him go. After leaving the Army, he moved to Clarksville, Tennessee, and began playing the 'Chitlin' Circuit,' which eventually led him to fame in London.