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Born July 4, 1946
Ladysmith, Wisconsin

American Vietnam War veteran
and antiwar activist

Ron Kovic volunteered to serve with the U.S. Marines in Vietnam because he loved his country and wanted to be a hero. But his wartime service—which ended when he received a severe wound that left him paralyzed from the chest down—taught him the cruel reality of war. After returning to the United States and facing life in a wheelchair, he joined the antiwar movement. Kovic wrote about his journey from patriotic soldier to disabled veteran to antiwar activist in a critically acclaimed 1976 autobiography, Born on the Fourth of July. In 1989, Kovic's book was made into a popular movie of the same name.

Eager to serve his country

Ron Kovic was born July 4, 1946, in Ladysmith, Wisconsin. He was the second of six...