Born on the Fourth of July plot
"A story of innocence lost and courage found."
Ron Kovic was born on July 4, 1946, the United States National Day. He grew up in a patriotic family. At school he excels in sports and at the age of 18 he voluntarily enlists in the Marine Corps, knowing that he will be sent immediately to Vietnam as a trained fighter. His childhood friend Donna goes to university and takes an active part in the anti-war protest. In Vietnam, Kovic is badly injured by a bullet in the spine and the doctors tell him that he will never be able to walk again. Ron does not accept the judgment and compulsively exercises his lower extremities. But slowly Kovic begins to question the meaning of the Vietnam War and becomes involved in the veterans' movement that wants to force the withdrawal of American soldiers in Vietnam.