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unusual facts about Ballad of the Green Berets



American patriotic music

Patriotic songs in the later half of the 20th century included "Ballad of the Green Berets" during the Vietnam War and Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" during the years of the first Gulf War and again after the September 11, 2001 attacks ("God Bless America" also saw a resurgence after September 11).

The Special Warfare Memorial Statue

Both John Wayne, co-director and star of the 1968 film, The Green Berets, and Barry Sadler, composer of the song, “The Ballad of the Green Berets,” each donated $5,000 toward the creation of the statue as a symbol of the, “Quiet Professionals.” Robert McNamara, the secretary of defense at the time, donated $1,000.


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