ith "Silver wings upon their chests [who] mean just what they say." The soldiers, who bravely fight for a government that apparently supports them, according to Sadler, also seem to come from a meritocracy that the counter culture would argue does not exist. Sadler describes, "One hundred men we'll test today, but only three win the Green Beret. It might seem that if a soldier is deserving, he might actually be rewarded for his efforts. This struggles against the rhetoric of Sadler's rival, the counter culture. While one major section of music business reflects young America's discontent with their government's neglect, Sadler speaks for the previously silent majority who really believed in the Vietnam War and who the government recognized. Sadler's right wing response continues as he describes an idyllic scene soaked with conservative family values once common in America. Also, in Sadler's opinion, each Green Beret is on a noble mission to seek out oppression and destroy it for the good of humanity. He says, "Back at home, a young wife waits, Her Green Beret has met his fate, He has died for those oppressed, Leaving her his last request[.]" In true patriotic form, Sadler tells of the soldier's last request being that his son become a Green Beret when he grows older. In direct opposition to the songs of the counter culture, Sadler's song served as a reassurance to the conservatives that there were people who still loved America. Some people still believed they were being noticed and that the Vietnam War was just. Sadler himself, a former military officer for the US, even believes his own words. As the counter cultural explosion continued to erupt, the youth's hopes grew thin. Eventually, they realized that they were not going to be heard by our government. Therefore, they turned to drugs as a method of escaping the devastatingly dehumanizing situation. Also, they acted on the theory that since the government never respect...
