Born on the Fourth of July

by Ron Kovic

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Student Question

In Born on the Fourth of July by Ron Kovic, what treatment did Kovic receive at the veteran's hospital?

Quick answer:

In Born on the Fourth of July, Ron Kovic received poor treatment at the VA hospital, characterized by unsanitary conditions, impersonal staff, and faulty rehabilitation equipment. This experience shattered his expectations and dignity, leading him to question his sacrifice and the treatment of Vietnam Veterans in America.

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In Born on the Fourth of July, Ron takes offense to the treatment he receives at the VA hospital. 

When Ron arrives at the hospital for physical rehabilitation, he is paralyzed. He lost control of his lower body when a bullet pierced his spinal cord while he was out in the field.  He still believes in the mission and his service when he says that his paralysis is "ok because I did it for democracy." 

The first time when Ron senses a disconnect between his beliefs and the reality around him is when he arrives at the VA hospital.  Ron expected that the facility would be sanitary. However, Ron finds filth and squalor in the hospital.  He starts his mornings with group showers and public enemas, exercises that chip away at his dignity as a returning veteran.  The people attending to him look at their work in a banal way.  They do not empathize with Ron as a veteran.  They do not address him or treat him as someone who has sacrificed more than most citizens can or would. Rather, they look at tending to him as a "job."  This hurts Ron because he never looked at his service in such terms.  The equipment designed to help his rehabilitation is faulty and malfunctions frequently.  

As a result, Ron has a difficult time reconciling what he feels he is due as a veteran and what he experiences in the hospital.  The treatment Ron receives is one of the first instances where he begins to question his sacrifice and raise questions about the way that Vietnam Veterans are treated in America.

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