"The Ballad Of The Green Beret's" entered the country music charts Feb. 19, 1966 – made it to No. 2, where it stayed for two weeks and was on the charts for 14 weeks.

Then there came Billy Waugh's favorite song, one that he played every day while at home. Throughout the auditorium, men quietly mouthed the words to "The Ballad of the Green Berets." ...

Thus goes the opening verse to “ The Ballad of the Green Berets,” sung by the late U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler, a song which spent five weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1966 ...