Born on the Fourth of July


Born on the Fourth of July is an autobiography by Ron Kovic, a paralyzed Vietnam War veteran who became an anti-war activist, published in 1976. Kovic was born on July 4, 1946, and his book's ironic title echoed a famous line from George M. Cohan's patriotic 1904 song, "The Yankee Doodle Boy". The book was adapted into the 1989 Academy Award-winning film of the same name directed and co-written by Oliver Stone and Ron Kovic, starring Tom Cruise as Kovic.

Origin

Born on the Fourth of July was written in Santa Monica, California, during the fall of 1974 in exactly one month, three weeks and two days. It tells the story of Kovic's life growing up in Massapequa, New York, joining the United States Marine Corps right out of high school, going to Vietnam for two tours of duty, getting shot, finding himself paralyzed and in need of a wheelchair, and eventually starting a new life as a peace activist.

Differences from the film adaptation

  • Ron Kovic is shown to have confessed his supposed role in the Marine Corporal's accidental death to the deceased man's sympathetic parents and widow, who admits that she cannot find it in her heart to forgive him, but God might do so. In reality, this meeting never happened, but director Stone admits this was done to add to the inner conflict Kovic was going through and to give him some closure.
  • Kyra Sedgwick's character of Donna, Ron's on-screen high school sweetheart, never existed and did not inspire him to become an anti-war activist. The film portrays Kovic watching her protest after the Kent State Shootings and get beaten up by police. Although Kovic did not witness the protest in person, he nevertheless did watch the event on television, and the memoir states that he was outraged by the treatment of the protesters, much like his feelings towards the treatment of his fellow veterans.

Cultural references