Born On The Fourth Of July Analysis

Born on the Fourth of July is a movie that tells the real life story of Ron Kovic, a Vietnam Veteran who was born on July 4th and raised in Long Island. He comes from a long lineage of veterans of various wars, so the current Vietnam War is important to his family. When marines visit the school Ron attends, he makes the decision to join the cause and heads over to “Nam” a couple of weeks later. There, he is immersed in battle and begins to realize the horrors of war when his platoon is ordered to shoot innocent families, including women and children, who were unarmed. In a scene in which the US troops are leaving, the enemy opens fire and the action becomes chaotic, resulting in Kovic accidently shooting one of his own platoon mates in case of friendly fire. His regiment then finds itself in the midst of another battle, where Kovic is shot in the ankle and the spine. The spinal injury causes paralysis from the waist down and Kovic is thus wheelchair bound for the rest of his life. He is sent back home to a Veteran’s hospital that has unsanitary conditions and is understaffed. While there he breaks his leg, causing him to spend many more months in the hospital. When he is finally released, he returns home where he is plagued with nightmares and guilt for the people he shot. Ron begins to despise the war and becomes and anti-war activist, seeking peace and speaking out with fellow anti-war activists at different rallies, conventions and protests. To this day, Kovic is still