Guess the 1960s song lyrics #61

1966. This was one of the few songs in the decade to cast the military in a positive light. The singer cowrote the song while training to be a Special Forces medic. Through connections, he recorded the song and other tunes onto an album. This song hit #1. He appeared on tv to perform. 12 years later, this singer shot and killed a man. He was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and served 28 days and was ordered to pay $10,000. 10 years later, he himself was shot and killed in an apparent robbery while working as a cab driver in Guatemala.