"The Ballad of the Green Berets", an extremely patriotic song about the United States Army Special Operations Forces, was composed by Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler and Robin Moore in 1966 (it reached #1 in the charts, and stayed there for 5 weeks—it has sold over nine million singles and albums).
"Fighting soldiers from the sky / Fearless men who jump and die / Men who mean just what they say / The brave men of the Green Beret / Silver wings upon their chest / These are men, America's best / One hundred men will test today / But only three win the Green Beret / Trained to live off nature's land / Trained in combat, hand-to-hand / Men who fight by night and day / Courage peak from the Green Berets / Silver wings upon their chest / These are men, America's best / One hundred men will test today / But only three win the Green Beret / Back at home a young wife waits / Her Green Beret has met his fate / He has died for those oppressed / Leaving her his last request / 'Put silver wings on my son's chest / Make him one of America's best / He'll be a man they'll test one day / Have him win the Green Beret'."
This jingoistic song was parodied by Billy Bragg in his, "The Marching Songs Of The Covert Battalions"; another parody was used on Saturday Night Live as a satire of Oliver North and his refusal to speak up about his participation in the Iran Contra Affair.
"The Ballad of the Green Berets" was used in the film "The Green Berets" (1968) starring American icon John Wayne. The film was the first major Hollywood production to address the Vietnam War, and its pro-war sentiments are still controversial today. "The Ballad of the Green Berets," is used in the film's main and end titles (arranged by Ken Darby), but not in any of the interior score (that was done by Miklos "I don't do westerns!" Rozsa).
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