Born on the Fourth of July
Ron Kovic, born on the fourth of July, raised in a patriotic family and spoon-fed heroic tales left home to fight the war in Vietnam. Kovic returned from the war with a shattered body, but it took a couple of years for the damage to spread to his mind and spirit. By the time he hit bottom he was a demoralized, spiteful man who sought escape in booze, drugs and Mexican whorehouses. Then he began to look outside of himself for a larger pattern to his life, the pattern that inspired his passionate pursuit of peace. Kovic never seemed to have control over his life, during his formidable years he was influenced by his family and friends, he was ordered by the U.S Military but, as a disabled veteran of the Vietnam War, made a conscious choice to become an ambassador of peace. On July 15, 1976, Ron Kovic pulled his wheelchair into the gleaming lights of New York City's Madison Square Garden. The eyes of the entire country were focused on this intent young man, just turned 30 but wise beyo
He began with a poem he had written:I am the living deathThe Memorial Day on wheelsI am your Yankee Doodle DandyYour John Wayne come homeYour Fourth of July firecracker exploding in the graveAs kovic continued, his words struck a chord. It wasn't until Kovic was an embittered and broken spirited man suffering from depression did he finally follow his heart and make his own decision to become a passionate political activist. An awakening moment for Kovic was when his unit was ordered to destroy a village that was thought to be armed. Antiwar activist and Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic has turned his personal tragedy into a blessing by helping other people. I gave America my all, and the leaders of this government threw me and others away to rot in their VA hospitals. Kovic had a unique voice to share with the audience that evening. After all, how many men could say that they were born on the Fourth of July? Kovic could. ------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**. For his patriotism he was rewarded with a bullet in his spine leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. As a young man, Kovic was influenced by people and Hollywood to think that fighting a war was a heroic, glamorous job. A veteran of the Vietnam War, Kovic had considered it his duty to serve his country. As He edged his wheelchair into the spotlight a hush fell over the crowd. Kovic was raised on the films of the films of John Wayne and Audie Murphy, movies like The Sands of Iwo Jima and To Hell and Back.
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Acceptance Essays
