Ballad of the Green Berets

[platoonDaddy]

This morning at the range, a few of us old timers sitting around BSing, I learned that the lyrics were written, in part for the 1st Green Beret to die in Nam & first native Hawaiian. The versus mentioning Gabriel by name was never used in the recorded version.



ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: He was the first Special Forces soldier and the first Hawaiian to be killed in the Vietnam War.

Gabriel, 24, a specialist 5, and Sgt. Wayne Marchand were executed by Viet Cong sympathizers on April 8, 1962, during a training mission in a remote village seven miles from Da Nang. A 1962 Time magazine report said Gabriel and Marchand were in the third night of a two-week field exercise near the village of An Chau, 360 miles north of Saigon, when they were killed. His group was attacked at daybreak. Gabriel was shot three times in the chest and stomach while calling vainly for reinforcements.

Before he fell, Gabriel radioed a final message to the base at Da Nang: "Ammunition is running short and we are being overrun." He was captured and later killed.


http://www.honorstates.org/index.php?id=273520

[SeriousStudent]

Weren't the Gabriel Teams that demonstrated skills utilized by SF teams named after him? Do they still have those?

I do remember when that song would be played over the radio.

[SteyrAUG]

Well a sad, solemn song just became depressing. Of course it's even sadder that we now do business with the exact same government that tortured and executed them. Vietnam should have been left to die on the vine of their communist aspirations.

[platoonDaddy]

Weren't the Gabriel Teams that demonstrated skills utilized by SF teams named after him? Do they still have those?

I do remember when that song would be played over the radio.

Excellent question.


Long video, but with the cursor you can move from station to station.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPJMPzIzHHI

[ramairthree]

Well a sad, solemn song just became depressing. Of course it's even sadder that we now do business with the exact same government that tortured and executed them. Vietnam should have been left to die on the vine of their communist aspirations.

As opposed to doing business with Japan, who for some reason committed war crimes that would humble Nazis but don’t matter because somehow it was not a Holocaust.

Or doing business with Russia, whose sheer numbers would not fit on the same scoreboard with Germany.

It’s crazy.

[Doc Safari]

As opposed to doing business with Japan, who for some reason committed war crimes that would humble Nazis but don’t matter because somehow it was not a Holocaust.

Or doing business with Russia, whose sheer numbers would not fit on the same scoreboard with Germany.

It’s crazy.

'Nuff Said.

[Wake27]

I had no idea about any of this, interesting.

[SteyrAUG]

As opposed to doing business with Japan, who for some reason committed war crimes that would humble Nazis but don’t matter because somehow it was not a Holocaust.

Or doing business with Russia, whose sheer numbers would not fit on the same scoreboard with Germany.

It’s crazy.

Same countries, but at least different governments. In Vietnam there were no Nuremberg trials of any kind, nothing changed. I admit Japan got off light, but they did establish a new Constitution and a new government, it's not still Imperial Japan. But Vietnam is still the same Vietnam.

[usmcvet]

I fist heard this song in 7th grade music class when our teacher played the record. It was one of the songs she taught us. She taught usots of patriotic songs. I have it in my iTunes play list.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180713/7f3d9ecf3b4e99ec69835ffdfe806200.png


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[platoonDaddy]

I fist heard this song in 7th grade music class when our teacher played the record. It was one of the songs she taught us. She taught usots of patriotic songs. I have it in my iTunes play list.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180713/7f3d9ecf3b4e99ec69835ffdfe806200.png


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dang, 7th grade, this old man was 23 in the year of the 'horse'

For whatever reason, I am unable to play your link


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5WJJVSE_BE

[ABNAK]

Dang, 7th grade, this old man was 23 in the year of the 'horse'



'66 or '78?

[usmcvet]

Dang, 7th grade, this old man was 23 in the year of the 'horse'

For whatever reason, I am unable to play your link


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5WJJVSE_BE

Mine was just a screen shot from my phone. I'm 46. I was in 6th grade in 1983/84. It was an old song then taught to us by a very old teacher. She was awesome. I'm sure she was a WWII era woman. Might have been a Vet herself.


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[platoonDaddy]

'66 or '78?

Good point, 1966

[ABNAK]

Good point, 1966

Holy crap, you ARE old! :cool: My father was born in 1945 and you got that beat! Good to see that firearms still hold an interest to you, it gives me hope that my interest won't wane in the future.

[platoonDaddy]

Holy crap, you ARE old! :cool: My father was born in 1945 and you got that beat! Good to see that firearms still hold an interest to you, it gives me hope that my interest won't wane in the future.

AMEN, war baby, 1943. I am very fortunate, mother-time has been kind. The key is to stay active, my "shock absorber" system crashed and burned :), therefore running is out, so I speed walk and shoot 2-3 times per week.


EDIT, forgot to add: the year your father was born, is the year the 1st American Soldier was killed in Vietnam. He was a member of the OSS. LTC Dewey shot in Saigon 9/1945.