Ron Kovic served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War. He was
paralyzed from the chest down in combat in 1968 and has been in a
wheelchair ever since. Along with Oliver Stone, Kovic was the
co-screenwriter of the 1989 Academy Award-winning film based on his
book, Born on the Fourth of July (Akashic Books). The following is the
introduction to the new edition of the book.
It was
exactly forty years ago this past September that I left my house in
Massapequa, New York to join the United States Marine Corps and begin
an extraordinary journey that was to lead me into a disastrous war
which would change my life, and others of my generation, profoundly and
forever. There are times in the lives of both individuals and nations
when we cross certain thresholds where there is no going back, no
return to the innocence we once knew; the change is utter and
irreconcilable. We often sense these moments. I know I did that day.
Happy 4th of July to Ron Kovic and all the other veterans and servicemen and servicewomen today!
You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July
4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White
House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where
kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from
happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.
~Erma Bombeck
