Ron Kovic Quotations

I served two tours of duty in Vietnam. I won the Bronze Star. I won the Purple Heart.

I am the living death, a Memorial Day on wheels. I am your Yankee Doodle Dandy, your John Wayne come home, your Fourth of July firecracker exploding in the grave.

I have come to believe there is nothing in the lives of human beings more terrifying than war and nothing more important than for those of us who have experienced it to share its awful truth.

People say that if you don’t love America, then get the hell out. Well, I love America.

We who have witnessed the obscenity of war and experienced its horror and terrible consequences have an obligation to rise above our pain and suffering and turn the tragedy of our lives into a triumph.

War is not the answer. Violence is not the solution. A more peaceful world is possible.