Fighting soldiers from the sky...

MT. HIGH - "The Ballad of the Green Berets" is a patriotic song about the United States Army Special Forces. It is one of just a few songs from the Vietnam War era to cast the U.S. military in a positive light. In 1966, we played with plastic army men and "The Ballad of the Green Berets" was Billboard magazine's #1 single of the year. The song was written by Staff Sargent Barry Sadler when he was training to be a Special Forces medic. Robin Moore, who wrote the The Green Berets book in 1965, helped Sadler write the lyrics and get a recording contract with RCA Records. The lyrics were written to honor James Gabriel, Jr., a Special Forces operator and the first native Hawaiian to die in Vietnam. Sadler recorded the song and eleven other tunes in New York City in December of 1965. The song and album Ballads of the Green Berets were released in January of 1966. Sadler would go on to perform the song on television on The Ed Sullivan Show, Hollywood Palace and The Jimmy Dean Show. John Wayne would later star in The Green Berets movie in 1968. Growing up, we had the record and the wornout album cover. I can recall most of the words to the song, especially the first verse, but it's the last two verses that I'll remember the most. The BDFL's Mineral Springs Grenadiers are named for the United States Army Special Forces known as the Green Berets. In Week 5 of the BDFL, the Grenadiers descended on Mt. High in a stealth mission to defeat the defending champions (Blue Deacons) in a bludgeoning blowout (51-11) to earn their silver wings. The Ballad of the Green Berets by Barry Sadler (1966)

Final Scores

GAM

DOG

12

39

BUL

JUG

18

35

BLZ

BEL

29

20

SM

CHE

44

40

PS

DOR

32

38

WIL

ARM

32

19

GRE

BD

51

11

MAY

FRE

22

21

'74 Flashback: Birmingham Americans

BIRMINGHAM - Keeping with a patriotic theme, the Birmingham Americans only played pro football for one season. 1974 in the first World Football League (WFL). 22 total games. Countless memories. The Americans were the most successful franchise in the WFL leading the league in attendance and they won all 13 home games at venerable Legion Field. The Ams had a reputation for thrilling come-from-behind victories. The Americans finished the regular season at 15–5 and on December 5, 1974 they won the one and only World Bowl over the Florida Blazers, 22-21, in Birmingham in front of 32,376 fans. Canadian Jack Gotta was the team's General Manager and Head Coach. Alfred Jenkins was the team's Most Valuable Player. Next week in the BDFL, we will celebrate the Birmingham Americans and the original WFL as we will pit eight WFL teams against eight NFL teams to see if the fledging league's teams could have competed against the established NFL back in 1974. My guess is yes, but this is why we play these games in the BDFL's annual Throwback Week. By the way, the Americans will host their nemesis, the Atlanta Falcons at Legion Field in Week 6 of the BDFL.