Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

The American epic biographical anti-war drama film, Born on the Fourth of July (1989), is based on Ron Kovic’s 1976 autobiography. Directed by Oliver Stone and co-written by Stone and Kovic, the film follows Kovic’s life in Massapequa, New York. As a child in 1956, he spends time playing with friends in a forest before attending an Independence Day parade with his family and best friend Donna on his birthday. However, after being inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address in 1961, teenage Kovic decides to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. Despite receiving support from his mother, this decision causes tension with his father, a World War II veteran who lost many friends to the war. Before leaving for recruit training, Kovic attends his prom where he shares a dance and a kiss with Donna.

In October 1967, Kovic is now a Marine sergeant on a reconnaissance mission in Vietnam, during his second tour of duty. While encountering enemy fire and mistaking Vietnamese villagers for enemy combatants, he and his unit kill several individuals. Among them is the sole survivor, a crying baby, whom they leave behind as they flee the village. Tragically, Kovic also accidentally kills Wilson, a young private in their platoon. Despite reporting the incident to his superior, it is dismissed and he is advised not to speak further about it. A few months later in January 1968, Kovic sustains critical injuries during another firefight and is rescued by a fellow Marine. As a result of being shot in the mid-chest area, he becomes paralyzed from that point down and spends months recovering at the Bronx Veterans Hospital in New York.