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Ron Kovic: A Hero to the Voice of Peace

by Sophia DelaRosa from Virginia

Ron Kovic, born on July 4, 1946, was raised with toy guns and surrounded by American pride. A romanticised image of war would be deeply rooted within him, but after experiencing the repercussions of it first hand, he was left feeling cheated and uneasy (Kovic). Consequently, he developed a completely new perspective that would move him to devote himself to a life of activism. Ron Kovic became a hero to many for his participation and leadership in protests and the sharing of his story that worked to expose and push the understanding of a much-needed truth. To this day, he advocates for peace and embodies the true modern heroic traits of bravery, moral conviction, and capability to inspire.

Before Kovic’s emergence as an activist, he knew and felt what it was like to be the traditional hero he had supposedly pictured, as well as the dark reality that came along with it. Kovic had joined the Marines and volunteered as a soldier in the Vietnam War, imagining it to be like the movies "Sands of Iwo Jima," "Destination Burma," or "Sergeant York" (Smith). He was posted in South Vietnam in 1965 as part of the headquarters and service company, which is a military unit at the regimental level of the U.S Marines. After a 13-month tour, Kovic volunteered 11 times until he was accepted for a second one; he was dissatisfied and driven by outrage caused by what he saw as unappreciative resistance and protest (Smith). Back then, Kovic wanted to “set [his] own example, like [his] father and the fathers of the neighborhood who had fought in World War II” (Bennet). Now into his second tour in 1967, he accidentally shot one of his own men during a North Vietnamese (NVA) ambush near the Cua Viet River, but his superiors refused to take his confession, and Kovic was trapped with a fueling sense of guilt and duty (INTERVIEW). So he kept obeying orders. He kept pushing. A year later, however, his squad was defending the South Vietnamese Popular force while the NVA surrounded their unit. Kovic was shot twice, once in his foot and once in his shoulder, leaving him with a collapsed lung and paralyzing spinal cord injury. A man would die trying to rescue him before another was able to carry him to safety, marking the end of his time with the war. 

Enraged protestors, all of whom Kovic had once considered traitors, was the opposite of the hero’s welcome he had once expected. At an intensive care ward and veterans hospital in the Bronx, he dealt with horrible and negligent conditions, a problematic trend in the Veterans Administration he found inexcusable (Kovic). Even as a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V" for heroism in battle and the Purple Heart Medal, the result of Kovic’s role in the war was not what he perfectly envisioned. Instead, he was left with injuries and great psychological struggle, along with time to reflect on the damage he did to himself and the lives of those he and his men took away. After the Kent State shooting during a peaceful protest against the bombing of Cambodia, Kovic was moved to find purpose in his pain and present his voice on behalf of peace (Kovic).

Ron Kovic developed an admirable and fearless moral conviction which he would unforgivingly express, inspiring others to take a step back and evaluate the flat-out reality of violent action that war culture and the U.S. government disregarded. The things he would communicate, the actions he took, and their effects shaped him into the hero he is today. Showing great concern for the lives that would end or endure the same emotional and physical consequences he did, Kovic used his own exposure as a tool to invoke a change in perspective. That change he would aspire to create would include a greater value of love, forgiveness, and humanity over imposed hate and violence. He describes himself as "a messenger, a living symbol, [and] an example,” and “given the task of lighting a lantern, ringing a bell, shouting from the highest rooftops, warning the American people and citizens everywhere of the deep immorality and utter wrongness of this approach to solving our problems, pleading for an alternative to this chaos and madness, this insanity and brutality” (Americans Who Tell the Truth). He did not criticize veterans, for he respected service and advocated for their better treatment, but he blamed the deceptive nature the government fed to them and saw it an obligation as human beings to prevent the repeated effects (Gay). 

137948Kovic protesting the 1972 Republican National ConventionSchweikle, Tony. “Kovic Protesting the 1972 Republican National Convention.” Ron Kovic, Wikipedia, MiamiAlthough Ron Kovic discussed on countless occasions his powerful messages of peace, he inspired others through books, such as his most famous novel, Born on the Fourth of July, written in 1976. It encapsulates what it is really like to be shot or to rot in an intensive care ward and the overall truth that “combat doesn’t happen the way John Wayne movies or Rambo movies portray it” (Smith). His powerful novel would later be produced as an Academy Award-winning movie--a cathartic journey for Kovic that would also lead him to establish a motivational yearly peace prize in his name to the short film that best portrays the power of nonviolence. He would continue to inspire others in many more examples of action. 

As mentioned, Kovic grew up with a traditional illustration of bravery, and he would continue to hold that characteristic, just in a different light. He has attended and led multiple demonstrations and protests, using his story and conviction of peace to attract the attention of the public. Despite being spit on, called a traitor, beaten by the police, and carrying the weight of physical and mental pain, he was greatly as active and refused to be intimidated (Kovic). He gave his first anti-war speech at Levittown Memorial High School when a bomb threat forced an evacuation. But his mission remained undeterred as he continued to speak from the school's football grandstands. Another powerful example of his courage was when he and a group of other protestors attended the 1972 Republican National Convention. In the middle of Nixon’s speech, Kovic was heard yelling to a national audience: "I'm a Vietnam veteran. I gave America my all, and the leaders of this government threw me and others away to rot in their VA hospitals. What's happening in Vietnam is a crime against humanity" (Americans Who Tell the Truth). Many screamed along: “stop the bombings.” His bravery would also keep him moving with protestors while being arrested 12 times in total. Kovic was truly unafraid of being disruptive because the fact of the matter was that innocent people were dying, veterans were poorly treated, and all of this was seemingly dismissed by political leaders.  

Other examples of his activism include hunger strikes, such as one in 1974 when he and a group of disabled war veterans from Vietnam took a stand for better treatment of returning veterans and Veteran Administration (VA) facilities at the office of Senator Alan Cranston. Their efforts succeeded in getting a meeting with the head of the VA, Donald E. Johnson. From 1990 to 1991, Kovic also led anti-war demonstrations in response to the first Gulf War. In 1999, he met with Li Zhaoxing, the ambassador of China in the U.S, to express his condolences of the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade by presenting him and his staff with roses. He criticized the Iraq War, calling it senseless and “the mirror image of another Vietnam unfolding” (Kovic). More recently, Kovic has defended the cause to build facilities in Los Angeles for homeless and disabled veterans in the constant hopes of their better treatment, and he also volunteers at the Long Beach veterans hospital. 

His uncompromising action and the sharing of his intimate story provide endless examples of his morality. With a strength not many can boast, he actively worked towards uncovering the horrors of war, developing the peace movement, and defending veterans, all whilst overcoming his own physical impediments. The compelling idea that “it’s possible to love America and at the same time to criticize America” (Smith) is something that many people today should learn from. Listening to one another is a very valuable thing, and one can especially benefit from listening to what Kovic advocates. His legacy leaves people with the idea that peace is what will keep the world together in the end and that love will always trump hate.

 

 

Works Cited

Bennett, Kitty. “Vietnam Veteran Ron Kovic - Born on the Fourth of July - Where Are The...” AARP, AARP, 20 Dec. 2011, https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/history/info-12-2011/vietnam-vet-ron-kovic-where-are-they-now.html

Chevalier, Douglas. “In 1979, Kovic Protested a Move to Revive the Draft.” Interview with Ron Kovic, HistoryNet, Washington D.C., https://www.historynet.com/interview-with-ron-kovic.htm.

D'Amato , Damon. “Ron Kovic at an Anti-War Rally in Los Angeles, California on October 12, 2007.” Ron Kovic, Wikipedia, Los Angeles, 13 Dec. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Kovic.

Gay, Kathlyn, editor. American Dissidents: An Encyclopedia of Activists, Subversives . Vol. 1.

Kovic, Ron. Born on the Fourth of July: 40th Anniversary Edition. Akashic Books, 2016.

“Ron Kovic (Born On The Fourth Of July) INTERVIEW 1977.” My Generation, PBS, 1977, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWVAkM1-Wtk

“Ron Kovic.” Ron Kovic | Americans Who Tell The Truth, AWIT, https://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org/portraits/ron-kovic

Smith, Rasheeda. “Interview with Ron Kovic.” HistoryNet, HistoryNet, 24 Jan. 2018, https://www.historynet.com/interview-with-ron-kovic.htm

Schweikle, Tony. “Kovic Protesting the 1972 Republican National Convention.” Ron Kovic, Wikipedia, Miami, 13 Dec. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Kovic.

Page created on 1/10/2020 3:08:44 PM

Last edited 8/25/2020 7:50:58 PM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Extra Info

Related Link(s)

“Ron Kovic Biography.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 22 July 2019, https://www.biography.com/writer/ron-kovic.