About Ron Kovic
Ronald Lawrence Kovic is an American anti-war activist, author, and United States Marine Corps sergeant who was wounded and paralyzed in the Vietnam War. His best selling 1976 memoir Born on the Fourth of July was made into the 1989 film of the same name which starred Tom Cruise as Kovic and was co-written by Kovic and directed by Oliver Stone. The first Marine who tried to rescue him was shot through the heart and killed, before a second Marine carried Kovic to safety through heavy enemy fire. As a result of his service and wounds in the conflict, Kovic was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat "V" for heroism in battle and the Purple Heart. Deserted by most of his unit, Kovic was shot first in the right foot, which tore out the back of his heel, then again through the right shoulder, suffering a collapsed lung and a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the chest down.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.