27 Facts About Barry Sadler

1.

Barry Sadler served in the Vietnam War from late December 1964 to late May 1965.

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2.

Barry Sadler died at age 49 after being shot in the head in Guatemala City.

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3.

Barry Sadler was born in Carlsbad, New Mexico, the second son of John Barry Sadler and Bebe Littlefield of Phoenix, Arizona.

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4.

Barry Sadler describes his mother as managing restaurants and bars, and at times, games in casinos.

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5.

Barry Sadler's parents divorced when Sadler was five, and his father died not long after at age 36 from a rare form of nervous system cancer.

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6.

Barry Sadler's mother moved her family around as she worked at temporary jobs in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.

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7.

Barry Sadler dropped out of high school in the tenth grade in Leadville, Colorado.

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8.

Barry Sadler finished his General Educational Development certificate while in the Air Force.

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9.

Barry Sadler trained as a radar technician in 1958 and was stationed in Japan.

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10.

Barry Sadler dressed the wound with a cotton swab and an adhesive bandage, then completed the patrol; however, he subsequently developed a serious infection in his leg, and was evacuated to Clark Air Base Hospital in The Philippines.

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11.

Barry Sadler returned to Fort Bragg where he made a complete recovery.

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12.

Barry Sadler recorded his famous song, "The Ballad of the Green Berets", a patriotic tune about the Special Forces, in December 1965.

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13.

Barry Sadler had recorded an album of similarly themed songs which he titled Ballads of the Green Berets.

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14.

Barry Sadler was entitled to the National Defense Service Medal and the Vietnam Campaign Medal.

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15.

Barry Sadler had the option of replacing the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with the Vietnam Service Medal.

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16.

Barry Sadler is seen in photographs in uniform wearing an Air Force Good Conduct Medal ribbon from his pre-Army service in the USAF.

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17.

Barry Sadler was unable to score anything close to a major success with his other songs, though "The A-Team" was a Top 30 Billboard chart single during 1966.

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18.

Barry Sadler was honorably discharged from the Army in May 1967, and moved with his family to Tucson, Arizona.

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19.

That resulted in Barry Sadler asking a bartender to telephone the police, who never responded.

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20.

Barry Sadler was sued for wrongful death by Bellamy's stepson, and was ordered to pay compensation of about $10,000.

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21.

Barry Sadler continued to write and publish his Casca books and produced a never-released self-defense video.

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22.

Barry Sadler was flown to the United States by friends in a private jet.

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23.

Barry Sadler was operated on at the Nashville Veterans Administration Hospital, and remained in a coma for about six weeks.

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24.

Barry Sadler was finally released in January 1989, but his family reported him missing.

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25.

Barry Sadler was moved to the VA Hospital in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in February 1989, but he never recovered from his injury.

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26.

Barry Sadler died there of cardiac arrest on November 5,1989, four days after his 49th birthday.

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27.

Barry Sadler was survived by his wife, Lavona, a daughter, Brooke, and two sons, Thor and Baron.

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