Posted on 08/09/2004 6:35:18 PM PDT by mass55th
I was doing a search on Google to see when Ron Kovic had been in Vietnam, and discovered that he had enlisted in the Marines in 1964 and did two tours of duty in Vietnam. I saw the movie "Fourth of July" when it first came out, and I'd like some help from fellow Freepers, to try to ascertain the facts behind his disability.
If I recall correctly, the movie portrays him as having been shot in the back and paralyzed. However, I found this on a website about him:
"After these experiences, Ron wanted to go home. He began stepping on booby traps so that he might get injured enough to be sent back home. When a trap blew off his heel and then it shattered his spinal chord, Kovic realized that he would never walk again."
This is the link to the whole page: Ron Kovic
Is this another Max Cleland situation? I know that Kovic protested against the war upon his return, but he was also very critical about the VA hospitals and the treatment afforded the wounded vets. If he did in fact, deliberately step on a booby trap to get home, then he basically had nobody but himself to blame for his condition, yet chose to blame the government for his plight.
Kovic is a POS. Read all about that puke in the book "Stolen Valor". By the way, Kovic volunteered, even going so far as to writing a letter to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, begging to be sent back to Viet Nam.
Maybe he had one of those snow-blowing machines.
should have said
read the book a long long time ago- IIRC he was shot in the heel, took a knee to return fire, and then took a round in the cehst, damaging his spinal cord.
The same kids who attended his birthday party played make-believe war with him in the woods on the outskirts of Massapequa, a small town on Long Island.
Re: Ron Kovic’s injury.
“If he did in fact, deliberately step on a booby trap to get home, then he basically had nobody but himself to blame for his condition, yet chose to blame the government for his plight.”
I’ve spoken with Ron. He was shot in the heel and then in the shoulder, which resulted in his spinal cord injury. He is paralyzed from the chest down. He is beginning his 40th year in a wheelchair this year (2014.)
It would be wise to read his book instead of relying on excerpts from secondary sources to get your information before you form your opinion.
Ron does not blame the government for his physical disability. In fact, he believes his injury was a blessing in disguise for he feels through it he has become a messenger of peace and non-violence.
When he returned after Vietnam he wrote he’d been misled by the government and told he was fighting “the enemy.” As a young person he was conditioned by films with the idea of patriotism which romanticized war. Once home he wanted to use his voice to tell the truth about what happened in Vietnam.
The movie is based on the autobiography by Ron Kovic.
He and director Oliver Stone, a fellow Vietnam vet, wrote the screenplay together .
Stone took artistic license by adding some scenes (i.e., the high school girlfriend; visiting the parents of the man he accidentally killed.)
Yes, it is heart-wrenching, especially when you meet Ron, and remember there are thousands more vets like him. He is inspiring because he feels his injury was a blessing in disguise for it has enabled him to be a messenger of peace and non-violence.
Perhaps you should read his book.
Ron Kovic and Oliver Stone, fellow Vietnam veteran, wrote teh screenplay together.
Stone used artistic license by adding certain scenes to represent themes of Ron’s past life and seeking forgiveness; i.e., the high school girlfriend, visiting the parents of the soldier he accidentally shot.
If you are unsure about the truth of the movie, you should read the book and decide upon its accuracy.
A little behind in your reading material aren’t you? Really? Posting a reply to a thread from almost 10 years ago? A little advice: You’re a newbie to FR. Don’t waste your time (or mine), writing replies to ancient threads that nobody cares about at this point in time.
“However, it was his shameless self-promotion (resulting in a movie directed by Oliver Stone and starring Tom Cruise) that made me very leary of him. Also, the scene in the movie where he tells the grieving parents of the kids [sic] he killed in Vietnam (friendly fire) that he, not the enemy, killed their son; he didn’t give a fudge about the parent’s feelings, only how much better he felt after confessing. What a jerk!”
If you’ve read Ron Kovic’s book, you’ll realize Oliver Stone (fellow Vietnam veteran) took artistic license by creating the scene of Kovic visiting the parents of the soldier he accidentally shot (as well as the story line of a high school girlfriend.)Kovic and Stone co-wrote the screenplay.
Kovic wrote to tell the truth about war and the deplorable conditions in the veterans hospitals, which sadly continue to this day. On 7-4-14 he shared that writing about his experience in Vietnam was an alternative to drugs and despair.
As for “shamelessly promoting” his book, he feels his injury has been a blessing in disguise, for he feels he can reach so many people with his message of peace and non-violence. If you are fortunate enough to meet him as I was, you will find a sincere and inspirational man.
Ron Kovic did not suffer a self-inflicted wound, although he contemplated it. Then he realized how much he wanted to live.
He suffered two shots: one to his heel and one to his shoulder, the latter resulting in a spinal cord injury.
Even with his disability, as he approaches his 40th year in a wheelchair, he said on 7-4-14 that although it takes him a long time to get ready each morning, it is a joy to do so. Doctors told him he would not live until 30 but he just celebrated his 68th birthday. He finds purpose in life by spreading his message of peace and non-violence.
Or maybe he was living in NY on November 22, 1963...
Or maybe he was living in NY on Novmeber 22, 1963..
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