Barry Sadler, in full Barry Allen Sadler, (born November 1, 1940, Carlsbad, New Mexico, U.S.—died November 5, 1989, Murfreesboro, Tennessee), American soldier, singer, songwriter, and pulp-fiction author who is principally remembered for his best-selling song “The Ballad of the Green Berets.”
Sadler’s parents divorced in 1945, three years before his father’s death. The young Sadler and his mother moved around the U.S. Southwest before settling in 1950 in Leadville, Colorado, where Sadler attended public school, dropping out of high school after completing the 10th grade. Sadler then joined the U.S. Air Force in June 1958 and served for four years, including a year in Japan, where he became proficient in martial arts and where he earned a GED. He received an honorable discharge in June of 1962.
Read Full Article »