Happy Birthday to Ron Kovic, Born on the Fourth of July
Independence Day is the birthday of the author and anti-war activist, who is also a friend and contributor to Truthdig. Today, we look back on our week with Kovic and the kind words he had for his friend Bruce Springsteen in 2009.The Fourth of July is the birthday of anti-war activist Ron Kovic, a friend and contributor to Truthdig. Today, we look back on our week with Kovic and the kind words he said about his friend Bruce Springsteen several years ago.
Kovic, author of the classic Vietnam War-era anti-war memoir “Born on the Fourth of July,” delivered his compliments to Springsteen at a 2009 dinner hosted by the Kennedy Center to honor Americans who helped shape the country’s national identity through the arts. Footage of the speech appears in the video above.
Last week, Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer and staff sat down with Kovic on Facebook Live to discuss America and war. Scheer also praised Kovic’s new book, “Hurricane Street,” from which you can read an excerpt here. Hear Springsteen read his new foreword to “Born on the Fourth of July” here, and read Kovic on Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump’s “need to go to war” here.
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In conversation with Robert Scheer, veterans Ron Kovic and Maj. Danny Sjursen trace the United States' violent trajectory since the Vietnam War.
Listen to Bruce Springsteen read his new foreword for the 40th anniversary edition of Ron Kovic's "Born on the Fourth of July," and hear the first chapter of the classic memoir.
"I never did a movie because it was good for my career," the director tells Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer in a hard-hitting conversation about filmmaking, America's military exploits, Russia and other topics. (Transcript added.)
This impassioned, timely memoir about the American Veterans Movement picks up where author Ron Kovic's "Born on the Fourth of July" left off.
The week that included the country's birthday brought to Truthdig's comment boards a host of history lessons and discussions that ranged far beyond the material taught in schools.