"Born on the Fourth of July" by Ron Kovic (published by Canongate)

51 years in a wheelchair, so far

23 September 2019 - 08.09 AM

The Vietnam War was an American disaster. Iggy Pop, who performed in Budapest recently, avoided it by acting crazy at his draft hearing. Creedence Clearwater Revival sang about the "Fortunate Son"s of senators who were assigned at home instead of fighting in the jungles. George W. Bush's military service in safe Texas has dogged him ever since. Country Joe and the FIsh sang about being "the first one on your block to have your boy come home in a box". Some 58,000 Americans came home in boxes. Ron Kovic went to war willingly, twice, and returned paralysed from the chest down.

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