Ron Kovic was really born on the 4th of July. Forty years ago the Vietnam vet — wounded in combat and in a wheelchair ever since — published his classic war memoir, later made into a film with Tom Cruise – Born on the Fourth of July. The new anniversary edition features a foreword by Bruce Springsteen.
In addition, Kovic - who continues his activism - has written a new memoir entitled Hurricane Street, which chronicles the 1970s activism of the American Veterans Movement.