DESCRIPTION: The handsome sargent Barry Sadler and his classic pop hit "The ballad of The Green Berets'', in 1966.Barry Sadler (November 1, 1940 -- November 5, 1989) was an American author and musician. Sadler served as a Green Beret medic and Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Most of his works have military themes, and he billed himself under his military rank as SSG Barry Sadler.