Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Barry Sadler was born in Carlsbad, New Mexico in 1940. His father died when he was young leaving his mother to raise him alone. They moved around a lot during Barry’s teenage years as his mother sought out employment opportunities.
At 17, Barry dropped out of high school to begin his lifelong affiliation with the U.S. military. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1958 and worked as a radar technician in Japan until his 1961 discharge.
Once his service in the Air Force was completed, Sadler immediately enlisted in the army. He subsequently completed medic training before shipping out to Vietnam, where a new conflict was just heating up. There, Sadler served as a Green Beret between 1964 and 1965.
Sadler was severely wounded during combat patrol when his knee was punctured by a jagged, feces-covered stick. Though Sadler treated the wound and continued his patrol, the resulting infection proved serious enough to end his military career.
He would, however, make a full recovery and earn an honorable discharge as a highly decorated veteran, all at a time before public sentiment had turned against the war in Vietnam and the U.S. military in general.
He turned his war hero status into overnight success.
Barry Saddles the Charts
In December of 1965, he entered the studio to record “The Ballad of the Green Berets.” Sadler had co-written the song with Robin Moore, author of a book entitled The Green Berets. It was also Moore who introduced Sadler to his friends at RCA Victor.
Barry Sadler was born in Carlsbad, New Mexico in 1940. His father died when he was young leaving his mother to raise him alone. They moved around a lot during Barry’s teenage years as his mother sought out employment opportunities.
At 17, Barry dropped out of high school to begin his lifelong affiliation with the U.S. military. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1958 and worked as a radar technician in Japan until his 1961 discharge.
Once his service in the Air Force was completed, Sadler immediately enlisted in the army. He subsequently completed medic training before shipping out to Vietnam, where a new conflict was just heating up. There, Sadler served as a Green Beret between 1964 and 1965.
Sadler was severely wounded during combat patrol when his knee was punctured by a jagged, feces-covered stick. Though Sadler treated the wound and continued his patrol, the resulting infection proved serious enough to end his military career.
He would, however, make a full recovery and earn an honorable discharge as a highly decorated veteran, all at a time before public sentiment had turned against the war in Vietnam and the U.S. military in general.
He turned his war hero status into overnight success.
Barry Saddles the Charts
In December of 1965, he entered the studio to record “The Ballad of the Green Berets.” Sadler had co-written the song with Robin Moore, author of a book entitled The Green Berets. It was also Moore who introduced Sadler to his friends at RCA Victor.
