Born on the Fourth of July: 40th Anniversary Edition

For more reivews check out [...] I had been wanting to watch Born On The Fourth Of July again and for the first time in twenty years (it came out in 1989!) lately but instead I decided to read the book first and then watch the Academy Award winning movie. I'm glad I did! Ron Kovic retells his childhood, high school years as a competitive wrestler, his dreams and hopes of becoming a great Marine and then the transformative years he endured in the U.S. Marine Corps while fighting for his beloved country in Vietnam. Transformative is the word I choose to describe those years Ron Kovic trained, fought, gave three-quarters of his body for his country in a war zone thirteen thousand miles from the land he loved and then fought against his fellow Americans for the respect and care he, as a Vietnam Vet, deserved but wasn't receiving. Ron Kovic states in the introduction of his heartbreaking, stoic and memorable memoir that he wrote Born On The Fourth Of July in "one month, three weeks, and two days, on a forty-two-dollar manual typewriter." I can't imagine how liberating, horrific, sad and therapeutic it must have been for Kovic to sit in his wheel chair and type his life onto blank pages. Maybe he didn't realize that thousands of readers would be looking into his soul when they read those very words one day and then years later when his life would be replayed on the silver screen by a firecracker and knock-out actor named Tom Cruise. I'm so glad that Kovic decided to but his thoughts, memories and opinions on paper. The layout is nicely done with plenty of time and detail taken for each aspect of Kovic's life. The book is a quick read but I enjoyed savoring every word and letting the scenes play out in my imagination. The reader gets to know Kovic as a child with patriotic dreams that blossom early in his mind and heart. Dreams that lead him to join the U.S. Marine Corps and then to the jungles, rice fields and beaches of Vietnam. It's there where his adult story begins. It may be tough to read for the weak stomach readers out there but Kovic's descriptions of life, battle, death and pain in Vietnam are very vivid. His use of imagery was so brilliant in my mind's eye. After Kovic sustains the devastating wounds to his psyche and later to his body that leave him without the use of his body from the chest down the horrors truly begin for him. He is sent to a VA Hospital in Bronx, NY for treatment and recovery. The conditions in that hospital are worse than hell on earth. The fact that Kovic's beloved government and country weren't supplying the funds necessary to help the wounded of a war it continually funded blew his mind. Kovic eventually made it part of his life's work to speak out against the ill-treatment of U.S. Veterans in VA hospitals and the conditions they were helplessly forced to endure. Born On The Fourth Of July unfortunately is a timeless and relative story in today's world. I am glad that I read Born On The Fourth Of July (I did watch it On Demand as soon as I finished the last page this morning) because it is a true life glimpse into our country's history and into the life of a man who almost gave all to his country but continues to try to give all to his fellow citizens.

Ron Kovic was that all-American kid -- so all American that he was born on July 4th. He was an athlete in school, and always wanting to do the best for God and country. Kovic ends up volunteering for service in Vietnam as a Marine, and does two tours there, making the rank of Sergeant. While in Vietnam, Kovic suffers a terrible injury, that leaves him paralyzed from the chest down. Things only get worse for him, as his return to the United States and recovery at a VA hospital revealed a system that left these broken men without hope and without honor, put into a system that didn't seem to care all that much how these men, who had sacrificed their minds and bodies, were treated by the very government that sold them on a promise that they would be treated well for their service -- and sacrifices. Kovic very graphically describes indignities he suffered at the VA hospital, whether it was lazy aides who left him in a puddle of his own urine, or other staff who refused to respond to these broken men when they needed their meds or a change of bedding. Through his experiences Kovic turns from the all-American boy who loved God and country to an activist who found himself reviled and rejected by his fellow citizens for pointing out the terrible treatment injured veterans were receiving -- being spat on, called a "communist" and a traitor by people who didn't end up serving themselves. Kovic brought a lot of attention to VA hospitals, but sadly, even in 2020 the system still fails veterans. The book is a quick read, with Kovic using first, second and third person perspectives to tell his story -- a story that is relevant in 2020, as it was in the early 1970s. Oliver Stone turned the book into a movie in 1989, with Tom Cruise playing Kovic, and it's worth a viewing in addition to reading Kovic's story. I read this book on my way to participate in Desert Storm in October of 1990, travelling from Portland to Japan and then eventually Bahrain, where my ship was in service. I'm glad I did read it then, even though it left me terrified about what might happen to me. But it was important for me to hear about the sacrifices made by the generation prior to my own.

I was surprised to find out that this book has only two reviews. Powerful and longlasting. Some chapters are actually tough to read. The descriptions of the enema room, the hospital in the Bronx, etc. really make you feel sick and revolted. It deals with so many subjects..that one would not expect to find looking at the cover: drugs, sex, politics, propaganda, etc.. I saw the movie 3times, but highly recommend the book.

Fantastic story, very educational. Rank up it up there with " War is a Racket"

Alles Gut.

Una gran historia personal. Se lee fácilmente y engancha.

Ich hatte das Buch schon vor fast 30 Jahren erstmals gelesen - es ist sicher eines der besten zum Thema Vietnam-Krieg und zu dem, was damals mit den jungen Soldaten geschah, die ihrem/ihren Präsidenten Glauben schenkten. «Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country» hat viele junge Menschen in den Tod geschickt!