Hall of Fame shows discord in politics is nothing new
“Fighting soldiers from the sky, fearless men who jump and die, men who mean just what they say, the brave men of the Green Beret.”
Those words belong to Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler, whose 1966 “The Ballad of the Green Berets” honored Green Beret James Gabriel Jr., the first native Hawaiian killed in Vietnam.
The song — written during a height of U.S. political strife — is featured in an exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, where political strife of a different sort is brewing at the Republican National Convention. At least 10 people faced charges on Wednesday evening after skirmishes with police outside the Quicken Loans Arena.
For three South Carolina delegates to the convention — Kathy Davis, Suzette Jordan and Linda Garner — visiting the Hall of Fame on Wednesday morning and listening to Sadler’s lyrics was a time to contemplate the political discord of a half-century ago.
“It was telling the story of war and how many Green Berets did not get to come home,” Davis said, reflecting on her memories of America’s reactions to the Vietnam War.
Sadler’s song is part of a joint exhibit by the Hall of Fame and the Newseum of Washington, D.C., called “Louder Than Words: Rock, Power & Politics.”
The lyrics of “The Ballad of the Green Berets” are just some of several songs highlighted to represent the divisiveness of the Vietnam War. Others include Edwin Starr’s “War” (1970), Merle Haggard’s “Okie From Muskogee” (1970) and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” (1969).
Todd Mesek, vice president of marketing and communications for the museum, said the Vietnam showcase is one of the most powerful in the exhibit.
“When you look at what happened in Vietnam, everyone knows that the Vietnam War has a connection to music,” he said. “It’s easy to look back 40, 50 years and say that the history books have been written on the Vietnam War. It was a bad idea and it wasn’t a shiny moment for the U.S.
“But at the time,” he continued, “you would talk to people and it wasn’t so clear. People were polarized; people were on the opposite sides of the aisle.”
Mesek said that today’s America isn’t so different.
“You have artists like Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) and Chuck D (Public Enemy) playing last night and protesting against Donald Trump, but you also have artists like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Kid Rock who are advocating for the conservative side, for the Republican side.”
Overheard at the convention
“We don’t grow jobs in the government. We can destroy jobs. We can’t grow them, though. That happens in the private sector.”
Sen. Tim Scott
“People are measuring Donald Trump’s campaign by yesterday’s yardstick.”
South Carolina Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster
“If you see someone in uniform, walk up to them and thank them because they’re wearing body armor and Kevlar in the heat, and frankly, when they put that uniform on, they’re putting on a ‘shoot at me’ sign.”
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson
This story was originally published July 20, 2016 at 8:54 PM with the headline "Hall of Fame shows discord in politics is nothing new."