SSgt. Barry Sadler Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler (1940–1989) was an American Green Beret, singer, and author best remembered for the patriotic 1966 No. 1 hit “The Ballad of the Green Berets.” Born in Carlsbad, New Mexico, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1958, serving with the 101st Airborne and later Special Forces in Vietnam. Wounded in 1965, he wrote the song while recovering and recorded it for RCA. The stirring anthem—celebrating Special Forces soldiers—topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks, sold over a million copies, and became the year’s biggest single; its album also reached No. 1. Sadler left music for a successful career writing the Casca adventure novel series. In 1988, he suffered a mysterious gunshot wound to the head in Guatemala (officially ruled accidental). He died on September 8, 1989, at age 49 in Nashville from complications. “The Ballad of the Green Berets” remains a powerful military anthem and enduring symbol of Vietnam-era patriotism and Special Forces pride.