It was a long time ago.
Sometimes I can still hear their voices across Sally’s Woods.
There was Billy, Steve, Tommy...
and the tall kid from down the street, Joey.
It was Joey Walsh.
My best friend was Timmy Burns who lived two blocks away from me.
We turned the woods into a battlefield...
and dreamed that someday we would become men.
- Did you hear it? - What?
Let’s go, Timmy! Let’s go!
Massapequa, Long Island - 1956
Come on, Major.
They’ve got to be somewhere, Ronnie. Watch out.
We better stay in the ravine.
Go.
Look, there they are!
Wipe them out!
- You’re dead, and you know it. - No, I’m not.
Ronnie’s dead!
No, I’m not!
Look at the mayor.
Donna, come back here.
Get out of the way.
Hey, you boys, stop that.
Stevie Boyer just gave Mary Barnett a ring. Can you believe it?
Over there.
Okay. Come here.
Stay out of the way.
What is this? Is this a firecracker?
What’s the matter with you?
- This is boring. - Yeah, square, man.
Look, Daddy, the soldiers.
Happy birthday, Ronnie Kovic.
- For me? - Yes. Open it.
That’s really nice, Donna. Say thank you, Ronnie.
Thanks, Donna, but you didn’t have to do that for me.
Going to the woods tonight? They’ll have fireworks there.
- Should be a real blast. - Yeah, okay.
What is it? Open it, will you?
Leave him aIone.
Beautiful.
It’s the real thing, Ronnie. Feel that.
Just like Mickey MantIe.
Ain’t he a little 4th of July firecracker in that hat?
Yeah. He’s my little Yankee Doodle boy.
Get it.
Come on!
- Did you like it? - I don’t know.
Look how many push-ups I can do.
Yeah!
Come on, Ronnie.
Go, Ronnie, go.
Go, Ronnie. You can do it.
Yes! That’s my boy!
Ronnie, you made it.
Yeah, all right.
Tommy, Ronnie, come on!
You’re going to miss it!
Michelle, Barbara, you’ve got to see this.
Not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need...
but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle...
a struggle against the common enemies of man:
tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.
You’ll get a licking if you’re late.
In the long history of the world...
only a few generations have been granted the role...
of defending freedom....
- Look, President Kennedy. - That’s right.
- He’s so handsome. - I dont shrink from this responsibility...
I welcome it.
Let the word go forth from this time and place...
that the torch has been passed...
to a new generation of Americans...
born in this century.
Let every nation know...
that we shall pay any price...
bear any burden...
support any friend...
oppose any foe...
to assure the survival and the success of liberty
I had a dream, Ronnie, the other night...
and you were speaking to a large crowd just like him.
Just like him.
And you were saying great things.
And so, my fellow Americans...
ask not what your country can do for you...
ask what you can do for your country.
Right. Get out. Got to get out.
You got to get out.
Hit that switch.
All right, hit the ropes.
Go, go, go!
Hand over hand over hand. Get those legs off those ropes.
Come on, ladies, let’s come down.
That rope is like life.
You grab it and hang onto it. Next!
I want you to kill!
- You hear me? - Yes, sir!
I want that conference championship.
- You want that championship? - Yes, sir!
Get up! Heads!
Get them up! Do you hear me?
Get your heads up, ladies!
I want that conference championship!
If you want to win, you got to suffer!
You want to be the best? You got to pay the price for victory...
and the price is sacrifice! Sacrifice, people.
Susanne, no homework at the table, please.
No, Tommy. After supper.
Dad, can I come with you--
There’s the next conference champion.
Sorry I’m late.
There’s rice on the stove and fresh fruit in the icebox.
- I can’t. - It’s on your diet.
No, I told you, Ma. I got to drop 3 pounds by Saturday.
Your brother’s a hard worker, Tommy...
‘cause he wants to be the best.
Win or lose. In school, in sports, in life...
as long as you do your best. That’s what matters to God.
Win or lose, we’re still here. We still love him.
- Can I go to my room, Dad? - Yeah, sure.
Thank you, God, for the food on our table.
In the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Daddy, Jimmy took my doll.
- Go to bed, I’ll get the doll. - I hate his guts.
Just go to bed.
- I didn’t take it. - Where’s your sister’s doll?
Jackie? Why is Jackie not in bed?
Settle down. Come on, go to bed.
Where’d you get this?
What are you doing in my room, anyway?
Don’t change the subject.
I don’t allow Playboy magazine--
Stevie gave it to me.
I was holding it for--
You have filthy, impure thoughts.
God is going to punish you for this.
I haven’t even looked at it yet, all right?
I want you to go to confession. I want you to tell Father McKenna.
I don’t want to see this filthy magazine in my house again. Now, take this away.
- What’s going on? - Nothing.
What do you mean, nothing? What’s going on?
Nothing, Dad. Okay?
You’re out of bounds, guys. Back inside.
Come on, Kovic, back inside.
Kovic, back inside.
Come on, Kovic. Back inside. Let’s go.
I want to see some explosion.
No messing around.
You’re great, Ronnie. Stay with him.
Come on down. All right.
Get off the mat.
Get him!
Reversal. 2-3.
One, red! You’re both up.
All right, fresh start.
Stand up. Don’t let him get you.
Pull him out. All right.
Watch those legs. Watch him!
Get him down. Don’t let him get the neck.
No!
You can beat him, Ronnie.
Come on.
Bridge!
You can win. Don’t give up.
Okay, son?
Come on. Get up.
Left, right, left.
Seats!
Good morning. I am Gunnery Sergeant Hayes.
This is Sergeant Bowers.
United States Marine Recruiting Station, Levittown, New York.
We are here today...
at the request of your principal, Mr. Richards...
and other members of the faculty...
to tell you a little bit about the Marine Corps.
First off, young men, let’s get one thing straight.
Not everybody becomes United States Marines.
We want the best...
and we’ll accept nothing but the best...
because there is nothing prouder, nothing finer, nothing standing as straight...
as a United States Marine.
Now, they’ve got the Army.
They got the Navy.
They got the Air Farce.
And if you want to join them, be my guest.
But if you want a challenge...
if you want to try something difficult...
if you want to try to achieve the impossible...
you try 13 weeks of hell at Parris Island, South Carolina...
and you’ll find out if you got what it takes.
You’ll find out if you really are a man...
and the Marines may be what you’re looking for.
Tarawa...
Iwo Jima...
Belleau Wood...
the frozen Chosin Reservoir.
First to fight. We have never lost a war.
We have always come when our country’s called us.
Sergeant Bowers and I would like to open this up to questions.
If any of you young men do have questions, go ahead and raise your hands.
Come on, now. Don’t be afraid.
Don’t forget, a good Marine’s a thinking Marine.
Billy Vorsovich, sir.
When would I get to wear a uniform like you?
You make PFC out of boot camp, you’ll be wearing this in 13 weeks.
Go, Massapequa!
Go!
My brother’s at school at Adelphi.
He said that there’s gonna be a big war in.... What is it?
Vietnam.
He said that the Marines are gonna be the first ones in, and it ain’t gonna last long.
That’s right. So if we don’t sign up soon, we’re gonna miss it.
I’ve already decided. I’m going in.
- Really? - Just like that?
- I’m not waiting. I’m going in now. - Come on. You’re crazy.
No, you’re crazy.
Our dads got to go to WWII. This is our chance to do something...
to be part of history, guys.
Yeah, just like our dads.
You should think about what you’re doing, you know, Ronnie.
Come on. It could be dangerous over there. You could get yourself killed.
Did you ever think about that?
Where are you going, squirrel head? College?
I want to do something with my life.
I can get a degree in business administration.
You don’t think you need to serve your country?
Don’t you care about anybody but yourself?
Better dead than red.
They got missiles pointed at us everywhere. ICBMs.
They’re coming in all around us.
- Cuba now. 90 miles away. - Ronnie, they’re taking over the world.
- When will we stop them? - You can’t stop them by yourself.
Karl Marx theory.
- Communism is moving in everywhere. - Where, Ronnie? I don’t see them.
The’re not here in Massapequa, so I’ll just take care of number one.
That’s right. Me... Stevie, number one.
It’s okay. Someone’s got to stay with the women and children...
while the men go do the fighting.
You guys are nuts. I’m getting out of here.
All I’m saying is, you should think about it. Think about it, Ronnie.
Stevie, who are you taking to the prom?
- Wendy Daniels. - Wendy Daniels?
How desperate were you?
Well, who are you taking, Joey, your mother?
Ronnie, who are you going to take to the prom?
You don’t know her. She’s a pretty girl from Ronkonkoma.
- What’s her name? - You don’t know her.
- What’s her name, Ronnie? - It’s Lombardi.
- Lombardi? - Yeah.
Vince Lombardi?
Rosanna Lombardi.
She’s from out of town, right?
She going to get a motel? ‘Cause I’d like to get in on that.
Ronnie, would you take this to section three?
- And check the stock for dog food. - Dog food.
Then finish stacking the potatoes.
Come on. Let’s go.
Let’s do some work for a change.
- Section three I wanna put this is in? - Yeah, right. Section three.
Hey, Donna.
Hi, Ronnie.
- How you doing? - Good.
- I heard you were going into the Marines. - Yeah.
It’s better than working at A&P.
That’s great, Ronnie. That’s wonderful.
I’m going to boot camp soon.
I joined the Marines for four years...
so if I go to Vietnam, probably go right to the front line.
- Really? - I’ll see a lot of action.
- Wow. - That’s neat.
Heard you got into that school. The letter?
Yeah.
Yeah, Syracuse.
It’s going to be really hard.
Could I talk to you in private?
Oh, yeah. Sure.
I’ve been meaning to call you. I was wondering...
are you going with someone to the prom?
Yeah, I’m going with Jed.
Oh, yeah?
That’s great. He’s a nice guy, isn’t he? Jed.
Stevie Boyer said you were taking a girl from Lake Ronkonkoma.
- Yeah. No. - No?
No. I don’t have time for that stuff. You know, going to proms....
There’s a lot of things to take care of before you go in the Marines.
I didn’t even know how much stuff.
Maybe I’ll see you before I leave, okay?
I told you I love you. You promised.
The batter is Mickey Mantle. Mickey has two strikes...
and the chance to put the Yankees ahead in this game.
The pitcher gets his sign, takes his stretch, checks the runners.
Here’s the pitch. Mickey swings. And he gets hold of it.
Theres a long drive deep to center field.
It is going, going. It is gone into the bleachers...
455 feet away...
for Mickey’s 491st home run!
How about that?
The crowd is on its feet, giving Mickey a standing ovation.
For the times, they are a-changin’
Come senators and congressmen Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway Don’t block up the hall
For the times, they are a-changin’
There’s no question. The First Cavalry Division...
is the latest concept in mobile warfare.
Just one of those divisions is worth...
two and a half Russian and as many as six Chinese divisions.
How well will the individual American soldier...
stand up here in Vietnam?
- I’ve never seen anything like-- - What do you think? About that.
I don’t know. 13,000 miles....
That’s a long way to go to fight a war.
The Vietcong, they fought the French and the Japanese for 30 years.
Do you really think they can be weeded out?
I think that anything that lives in a cave can be weeded out.
I just hope they send to to Europe or Korea or...
- They can’t. - Some place safe.
Every Marine has a tour of duty there.
It’s not like the Army.
What’s the matter with you, anyway?
- You served. Uncle Bob served. - I know, Ronnie. I know.
Don’t you remember what President Kennedy said?
"There’s not gonna be an America anymore...
"unless there are people who are willing to sacrifice."
- I love my country. - I know.
And you’re right Ronnie. You’re doing the right thing.
Communism has to be stopped.
It’s God’s will you go. We’re proud of you.
Be careful, that’s all.
Up there in Hanoi they don’t allow magazines and newspapers, televisions...
to cast doubts on the military system.
Don’t you know what it means to me to be a Marine, Dad?
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve wanted this. I wanted to serve my country.
And I want to go.
I want to go to Vietnam...
and I’ll die there if I have to.
The attitude of people on the home front is very important.
Not a nice night for the prom.
Sometimes, God, I’m so confused.
Sometimes I think I’d just...
like to stay here in Massapequa...
and never Ieave...
but I got to go.
Help me, Jesus. Help me to make the right decision.
Please, dear God.
Ron.
Ronnie, what happened to you?
What.... Oh, jeez.
- Donna. - Ronnie.
Will you dance with me?
Yes. Sure.
Near the Cua Viet River, Vietnam October 1967
You have beaucoup gooks. They’re coming at you.
Echo-1’s pushing them. Over.
6, 2-Actual. Sit Rep as follows.
Two set in on the beach. The tracks are moving this way. Over.
Sounds like beaucoup gooks in there.
I got a feeling I’m finally going to get to see one.
Relax, you’ll be all right.
Where you from, Wilson?
First Battalion, 9th Motor T. Mostly around Danang.
The Sergeant Major said the grunts needed replacements...
so they took me out of battalion supply.
- Where are you from in the world? - Venus, Georgia.
This is my second tour. I haven’t seen a Georgia boy get hurt yet.
You’ll be all right.
Echo-1’s taken in, coming northwest edge of the ville.
We got gooks moving this way.
Look out there, Sergeant. Can you see them?
Right there. You see them? They got rifles.
Can you see the rifles? Right there. You see them?
Can you see the rifles?
Yes, sir.
Pass the word. When I give the order...
I want to light up this ville like a motherfucking Christmas tree.
I think we got them! This time I think we fucking got them! Move out.
Pass the word. Fire on my command.
Wilson, come with me.
Cover that big hooch. Fire on my command! Pass the word.
Corporal, start ranking. Fire on my command.
Cease fire. Cease fire, you asshole.
What the fuck are you doing?
Cease fire.
What happened?
Cease fire, you asshole.
I want to know what happened.
I don’t know, sir. Possible accidental discharge, sir.
We better get a sweep team in there. Take five men. Tell me how many we got.
Yes, sir.
Motherfucker! Baldy, on me.
Brooks! Martinez! On me! Wilson, on me!
Line.
Standby.
Target: 15,637 meters.
Direction: 5800.
Get him out!
Check it out over there. Everything out.
Baldy, get everything out. Baldy! There! Check it out.
Get him out!
Oh, my God.
We didn’t do this, did we?
- Oh, my God. - Jesus Christ.
2-Actual, 2, better get down here quick, and bring the corpsmen.
We got beaucoup wounded. Civilians.
Martinez, help me!
We wasted them. Motherfucker! We wasted them!
Where are the rifles?
There ain’t no fucking rifles.
Jesus fucking Christ! Well, help him, then.
Help him!
Motherfuck!
- Fucking great. - Shit!
Get up and help him. I want you to help him.
Forgive us.
Help me. Somebody help me!
6, 2-Actual. Request emergency medevac.
We got a lot of friendly wounded. Over.
Negative. Get out of there! Leave the wounded! You got Arty inbound!
Get out!
Get back to the dunes.
We got gooks in the ville. I want you moving out of here.
Get out. Move out. That’s a direct order.
I want you out that door.
It wasn’t your fault, god damn it! They got in the goddamned way!
Kovic, get your fucking ass up. We gotta move! We got gooks in the ville.
- The baby. - Move out. Get back.
- The baby. - No, move. Now. Let’s move.
Move out! Get the fuck up! Move!
The ville is going to blow! Arty’s on the way.
Red, Abbot.
Wilson’s hit.
What happened?
X.O., Sergeant Kovic here to see you, sir.
Stand easy, Sergeant.
Yeah, Kovic. Lieutenant told me that was a pretty rough time.
Yes, sir. It was pretty bad.
- Ran into a few of them, didn’t you? - Yes, sir.
You want to see me about something, Sergeant?
Yes, sir.
Like I said to the captain, sir, it was a very confusing day.
- The villagers-- - Yeah. I know about the villagers.
- The villagers-- - It was very, very unfortunate.
- The enemy used them as cover. - Yes, sir.
They popped up, started firing. We were running back. And it was real glary.
Very confusing, and that’s when it happened, sir.
What happened?
- Sir, that was when Wilson was killed, sir. - I know about Wilson.
Sir, you see...
he was the last one out, and that’s when it happened, sir.
Sir, I think I might have killed him, sir.
I don’t think so.
He was coming up over the dune. It was very confusing.
And I think I might have killed him.
It’s hard. I was out a couple of weeks ago. Sometimes it’s...
very hard to tell what’s happening.
Yes, sir.
But, sir, I think I killed Wilson.
I don’t think so, Kovic.
But, sir, I want you to know that--
Don’t talk like that. I don’t need anybody to come in here and tell me this shit.
- I’ll take your head off. Is that clear? - Yes, sir!
All right.
Carry on.
X.O. ought to court-martial his ass.
Sergeant K.
January 1968
Ain’t nothing but a thing, baby.
It’s so hot out here, I want to kill some motherfucking gooks.
Dog, you’re sounding like a bitch, man.
Ain’t nothing but a thing.
It’s so hot out in this motherfucker, this must be hell.
Or purgatory.
Where’s the motherfucking devil at?
Take cover.
Snake 199 airborne...
be advised machine guns and projos at your 12. Over.
No. No, people.
Move forward.
Gun up.
2-Alpha. Contact.
Heavy incoming from both tree lines. Over.
Look out.
Son of a bitch.
Fuck, man!
Fuck!
Son of a bitch!
2-Actual. Heavy incoming from the ville.
I’m in trouble out here.
2, Charlie, be advised there’s more of them.
We see two squads moving in from the left tree line.
I’m in trouble out here.
2, Echo-6. Get out of that vllIe.
They’re going to cut you off.
I need everything you got.
Charlie motherfuckers!
We’re going dow, I can’t hold this bitch.
Hold it, god damn it. Pull up. Pull up.
God damn it!
Corpsman.
Goddamn! Motherfuckers!
We got six sucking chest wounds and 12 crispy critters coming in.
Give him 250 ml of happy juice until he crashes out.
- Just get him to sleep. - You got it.
- Who’s got a hot one? - What do we have?
His kidney and liver are gone. He’s leaking like a sieve.
- We better just kiss this one goodbye. - All right, take off.
- There’s something wrong with me. - Code blue.
Let’s go. He’s code blue.
Get the machine. Let’s go.
Stay with me, Marine. Stay with me.
Give me the shock defibs.
Stay with me now. We’re going to jump-start you. Clear.
Where’s the priest? Get me a priest.
Breathe. Breathe.
- I took the Packers at minus 7. - They ain’t got a chance.
How are you?
Tell them they’ve got to operate. There’s something wrong with me.
The doctors are real busy right now. There’s a lot of wounded here today.
No time for anything except trying to stay alive.
So you got to try and stay alive. You hear me?
Try and stay alive.
I’ve come to give you your last rites.
Are you ready?
I’m ready, Father.
"I am the resurrection and the life.
"He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.
"We brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out.
"The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.
"Blessed be the name of the Lord."
Bronx Veterans Hospital - 1968
I got sunshine
On a cloudy day
When it’s cold outside
I got the month of May
Eddie, I need some help in Room 13.
Give me a second, man.
His catheter’s plugging up. It’s backing up into his kidney.
I said I’d be there when I be there. Give me a fucking break.
Give me two cards.
You know you ain’t supposed to have this.
What the fuck?
Didn’t I tell you not to do that to him in the a.m.?
Take the needle out of my arm.
Good morning, Nurse Washington. How are you today?
You up bright and early today.
Everybody up.
Good morning, gentlemen. Let’s rise and shine.
Can I have some aspirin?
I ain’t feeling well.
I’ll get to you. Leon, how you doing today?
Look at this shit.
- My catheter’s clogged. - Give it a minute.
Swear to God, they’re getting bigger every day.
Don’t bother them, they won’t bother you.
That’s why I’m feeding him.
Keep on feeding him, and everything will be fine.
Up and at them. Frankie’s here.
Hey, Frankie. What’s up?
Hopkins, come on, wake up.
- All you guys, 6:00 special. - Fuck you.
- I’m looking at you. - Keep looking, asshole.
My man, Kovic. Up already? That’s good. Let’s go.
- Let’s do it. Let’s go. - Give me a hand over here.
How you doing, Eddie?
Yeah, you about ready. Let me have that thing there.
I think my stomach is bloated.
Just take it easy. Eddie’s going to take care of all you boys.
It’s like a fucking car wash.
Bernstein, what’s wrong today? You’re impacted.
You got shit up you that ain’t coming out.
Stick your head up my ass, see what the problem is.
Your piss bag’s cloudy, too. You been drinking enough water?
- You got to flush them kidneys. - Yeah, yeah.
Frankie, I think I’m done. I think I’m ready, man.
You fucking with me again? You better chill out.
I’m not fucking with you.
My man, Kovic.
Mr. Fourth of JuIy.
Politicians, protesters, and police are in Chicago...
for the 1968 presidential election.
Fucking gook-lovers. They ought to die.
They’re here.
There he goes, man. It’s Leon.
They’re coming through the wire.
They’re going to overrun us.
Hey, John.
Shut the fuck up, Leon.
Hit him with some morphine.
Chicago has an Alice in Wonderland quality.
Things are getting curiouser and curiouser.
Everywhere you go, there’s a sign reminding you....
Love it or leave it, you fucking bastards.
Hey, you ready, Kovic?
They’re burning the flag. They’re fucking burning the American flag.
Come on. Let’s look alive.
Looking good.
Come on, Kovic. Real nice.
- How many did I do yesterday? - Three.
- You had enough? - Let’s do seven.
There you go. Let’s go for seven, then. Come on, Ronnie.
Come on. Get up there. Keep going.
Come on, fucking Marine. There you go. Real nice.
We want to make one thing very clear to you, Ron.
The possibility of your ever walking again is minimal.
Almost impossible.
You’re a T-6, paralyzed from the mid-chest down.
Probably you’ll be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life.
Do you understand what I’m saying?
Well, doctor, will....
Will I ever be able...
to have children?
No.
No, but we have a very good psychologist here.
- I’ll walk again. I know I’ll walk again. - Let me tell you something.
You will never walk again.
How am I looking, Willie, good?
You’re one crazy marine.
So gung ho, but you don’t know shit about what’s going on in this country.
- Fuck you, Willie. - It ain’t about burning the flag and Vietnam.
Why fight for rights over there? We ain’t got rights at home.
It’s about Detroit and Newark, man. It’s about racism.
But you can’t get no job at home.
Vietnam’s a white man’s war, a rich man’s war.
Where’s my money?
You got to read some books. There’s a revolution going on.
Brothers are getting it together.
If you ain’t part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.
Jesus Christ, Willie. Just get my chair for me.
You got to watch for the bitch.
Take the bra off. I’ll give you another $10.
Why, sure, sugar.
Like this?
- Suck on my tits. - Honey, anything you want.
Oh, Jesus!
Good. Easy now.
Very good.
Hey, Doc, it’s really beautiful up here.
I’m walking out of here, guys.
- You’ll see. Right, Willie? - Right.
Easy.
- I’m all right. I’m all right. - Okay. That’s enough for today.
Good. Easy, now. Easy, now. Don’t go too far.
- Don’t do too much. - Looking good today. Looking good.
Don’t go too far.
- All right! - Way to go, Kovic.
Amazing, huh?
Nothing from the chest down. It can be done.
Semper fi, motherfucker!
All right, Harry, man. Keep it going. Let’s go.
Let’s go.
Willie, I think I need....
Get him up. Somebody get over there.
Something snapped. It’s my neck.
- Just my neck. - Shit.
Harry! Hang on.
It’s just my neck? What was that sound?
Oh, shit.
What?
It’s fine. Everything’s fine.
- Is that my bone? - Harry, get a doc.
Am I okay?
It’s okay. Everybody, relax. Harry. Let’s go.
Washington!
Washington, where the fuck were you?
I’ve been pushing this call button, staring at my own vomit for two hours.
What’s the matter with you fucking people?
I lay in my own shit. Why don’t you change the sheets?
This goddamned fucking place. I need a bath.
Don’t be raising your voice to me. You watch your mouth.
Why don’t you people help me? What’s the matter with you?
I don’t feel right. I need to see the doctor now!
- He’s not available. - I want to see him now.
He’s always too busy.
- What’s eating you now? - Fucking shit.
You going off the deep end?
We’ll amputate that leg if you continue.
What do I have to do to make you people--
Don’t put your hands on me.
I want to be treated like a human being.
I don’t want any of that shit.
Trying to keep me fucking drugged so I don’t know what’s going on.
This place is a fucking slum.
You want out? We take that leg, you’re out in two weeks.
- I want my leg. - Why? You can’t feel it.
It’s my leg. I want my leg, you understand? Can’t you understand that?
All I’m saying is I want to be treated like a human being.
I fought for my country. I’m a Vietnam veteran.
I fought for my country.
- Shut the fuck up. - I deserve to be treated decent.
I earned that right.
Vietnam don’t mean nothing to me, man...
or any of these other people. You got it?
You can take your Vietnam and shove it up your ass, you hear?
- Go on. - No! I don’t need this!
Hey, you fuck!
- Hey, god damn you. - God damn it.
I am a fucking Vietnam veteran.
Marvin.
Marvin, now.
- What’s up? - Marvin, look.
- Oh, fuck. - It’s off.
It’s not working.
- Get the doctor. - Wait a minute.
Okay. Yeah. All right. I will.
How you doing, Eddie? Let’s see what’s wrong with this.
They tell me if we don’t get this pump working...
they’ll cut my leg off. I want my leg.
- It’ll be all right. - What do we do?
- Do we have another pump? - It’s the only one, Eddie.
Ron. It’s Ron Kovic.
Sorry, man. Ron.
You are a doctor?
It’s the Vietnam war. Cutbacks.
The government’s not giving us the money to take care of you guys.
We’re doing our best. It’s really too bad.
- It’s not fair. - I’ve tried really hard to keep this leg.
I’ve been strapped in this bed for four months so I could keep this leg.
- I’m trying to remain calm. - Maybe I can rig up a substitute.
I’ll look in the basement and see what we got.
- You’re coming back? - Soon.
Let go, Ron. Let go.
We really did try to help Mr. Kovic, Doctor.
Massapequa, 1969
Ronnie’s home.
Okay. Out on three. One, two, three.
That’s great.
- Did you paint the house, Dad? - Yeah.
Yellow. It looks good. Looks really good.
- It looks pretty good. - I got that. That’s all right.
The kids have been talking about you. They can’t wait to see you.
It’s great to be back in the neighborhood. I got it. I got it.
Everything looks so different.
Major.
- You know who this is? - Yeah.
You know who this is?
- He’s gotten old, huh? - Just like your old man.
Hey, Tommy.
Good to see you.
Look at that hair, Dad.
You let him look like that?
I don’t have much say.
How are you, Jimmy?
- Good to have you home. - It’s good to be home.
- You’re out for good? - I’m out for good.
Patty, look at you.
- That’s Jackie. - Jackie?
I wanted to visit you in the hospital.
How many pull-ups you do, huh?
You know, I did 23 pull-ups.
I’m okay. I’m all right.
- Ronnie. - Susanne.
Good to have you home.
- You didn’t say she was this beautiful. - I’m sorry.
It’s all right. I can’t feel anything anyway. I’m only paralyzed.
- You look good. - Yeah?
Ronnie.
Mom.
Look at your hair.
- Looks great. - You like it?
- You look beautiful - Thanks.
It’s good to be home.
It’s better than seeing me in that hospital, huh?
- It’s okay. - I know.
I’m okay.
It’s good to have you home, Ronnie.
Everybody looks so good.
I’m going inside for a minute.
Mom, wait.
She’ll be okay.
How are you, man? You look good.
- Ronnie, you look good. - Welcome home. You look so good.
- It’s so good to see you. - Welcome home. Nice to see you.
Look at Harry. You look good.
- Welcome home. - Let’s go in the house and help.
- Come on, Mom. It’s all right. - Looks good.
- You need some help? - No, I’m okay, Dad.
Fixed up a bathroom for you, Ronnie.
Put a wider doorway in.
I built a shower for you, too.
You can get in here pretty easy.
And I put some handles on the toilet for you.
- Ronnie? - Thanks, Dad.
It’s really great to be back in my room.
It’s good to have you.
It’s good to have you, Ronnie.
Come on, I’ll show you....
I’ll show you some new stuff we got..
in the bedroom over here.
My Hauppauge Boyer’s grossed $85,000 last six months.
My competitor’s rushing to build, but I was first. People are loyal.
You problably think this is just a hamburger.
A patty’s just a piece of meat, but it can have character, all right?
See that doughnut hole in the patty?
My idea gets us 18 patties to the pound instead of 16.
Saves me about $40,000 a year. That’s serious money.
I plug the hole with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, spices, our secret sauce...
I cover the whole thing with a pickle. They’ll never miss a thing.
Give me a good one for Ronnie. Thank you very much.
You’re doing a good job. Try this.
You don’t find that at McDonald’s. I got a drive-in window, too.
It’s the first one in Long Island. It’s clean, it’s cheap, it’s fast.
Feed the family for $3.95.
Check out these chicks. They’re wearing those new miniskirts.
My idea. It’s good for tips. The customers always come back.
Massapequa’s changed. Watch yourself.
It’s no mom-and-pop operation any more. This is our town.
You all right? I want to push you out. Excuse me.
You’re doing a nice job. Keep up the good work.
Copiague, Jericho, Bayville, Valley Stream, man.
I want to turn Boyer’s into a whole Long Island thing.
I want you to come to work for me, okay. What do you think?
What can I do?
This is our town now. You’re a part of it.
You’re a war hero, and you can benefit. You should benefit, Ronnie.
You mean, partners? We open a place together?
You got to walk before you run.
I could start you out as a cashier.
Then you could learn the business...
and eventually work your way up to be manager.
Just like your dad.
I get $1,700 a month from the government. I’ll take my time, look around.
That’s charity money. This isn’t.
- Charity? - Here’s your cola.
You got to put the war behind you. Forget about this chair you’re in.
Sometimes, Stevie...
people know you’re back from Vietnam, and their face changes, the eyes...
the voice, the way they look at you.
I know, but people here...
they don’t give a shit about the war.
It’s just a million miles away. It’s all bullshit, anyway.
The government sold us a bill of goods and we bought it.
We got the shit kicked out of us.
What do you mean "we"? You were in college.
It was you who bought that communist bullshit.
They were going to take over the world. Remember that?
Finnelli, you, Walsh.
The whole town was devastated.
For what? For lies? For bullshit lies?
They burn the flag, demonstrate against us on the cover of today’s paper.
They have no respect.
They have no idea what’s going on there, the men sacrificing their lives.
Nobody here seems to care. It’s a bunch of goddamned shit.
Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain, not in front of the children.
- I agree with everything you say. - I served my country.
They just want to take from it, that’s what I think.
I got to do some homework.
The other side’s angry because we’re not winning.
How can we win?
- Tommy, what’s the matter? - Nothing.
- Anybody listening here? Tommy? - What?
Tommy’s going to fail English.
He doesn’t believe in the war.
What?
He thinks we’re doing the wrong thing over there. He thinks it’s all a mistake.
Mistake? What’s this? Spit it out. You believe in demonstrators?
What? You don’t talk anymore? You don’t think we’re right.
I just don’t agree with everything you’re saying.
- I don’t think you understand. - I don’t understand?
He’s hanging around with long-hairs who take drugs.
- They smoke pot. - That’s not the reason.
Have they ever worked?
You want to burn the flag? Huh, Tommy?
What is it?
You want to bring down this country?
Love it or leave it, Tommy.
All they’re trying to say is they don’t want more people...
to come back like you.
That’s an easy excuse.
Where were they when their country needed them?
You served your country.
What did you get out of it? Look at you.
Well, look at me.
Look at you, man.
- I got to go. I’ll see you around. - What’s wrong with me, Tommy?
Is there something wrong with me?
I volunteered, Tommy!
You don’t know what you’re talking about! Were you there?
You can just love it or leave it, Tommy.
I can’t believe what Tommy just said to me.
Parade time, Ronnie.
You tell them I’ll be right there, all right?
Hurry up.
What kind of car is it?
- I think it’s a Continental. - Continental?
- A convertibIe. - Yeah.
- They said it would be. - Coming up in the world.
Massapequa - July 4, 1969
Die!
Today is July the fourth, and I believe in America.
And I believe in Americanism.
But most of all...
I believe in victory for America.
Some people are starting to say the war is wrong...
that we shouldn’t be there.
Some people would like to tear our country down.
But who are the kids defending their right to protest?
These are the kids who care about our country.
Kids who have respect for their flag and their parents and their government...
and their religion.
Kids like Joey Walsh.
He was the first.
We got a street in the park named after him.
And Danny Topinka...
Billy Vorsovich...
Phil and Larry Powell...
Tommy Finnelli.
Six boys from Massapequa...
and they all knew what honor, duty, and sacrifice meant.
They paid the highest price. They died for it.
This town’s been hit hard. It’s always been hit hard.
Doc here, he was in the First War.
A lot of us here were in the Second. That’s why we can’t give up.
Thats why we’re going to win in Vietnam.
Because Massapequa’s been there before...
because of those six wonderful boys...
and because of him.
Ron, come say a few words, would you, please?
Ron Kovac, ladies and gentlemen, was born on the 4th of July, 1946.
Give him a big hand on his great birthday.
I just want to say for all the guys in Vietnam that we’re doing our best.
lt’s not an easy situation...
but the boys’ morale over there is real high...
and you can feel confident that we are going to win that war.
I served my country, and I don’t want you to feel sorry for me.
Do not shed a tear.
I have my hands, my eyes, my ears....
I have my heart...
and I have what I feel....
I have what I feel is...
an unquenchable....
- It’s okay, Ronnie. - It’s okay, kid.
I’m sorry.
And we’ll continue to fight because of guys like Ron Kovic....
Dad, where’s the car?
It’s across the street.
Like he said, we’re going to win that war.
Ronnie.
Timmy?
I heard you were.... When did you get back?
When did you get out?
Wow, man.
Let’s get the hell out of here.
- Mr. Kovic? - Sure.
Many antiwar demonstrators have come to Washington, D.C...
to shut the city down.
Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.
Starring Dan Rowan and Dick Martin...
with Sammy Davis, Jr...
and Judy Came....
Honey, come on, it’s starting.
- Okay. - It’s the one with Sammy Davis.
Oh, yeah?
- Who else used to play? - Come on, Ronnie.
- Come on. Tell me who. - Bobby Moore at shortstop.
- Grady Rogers at third. - Grady got sick. It was Finnelli at third.
Tommy Finnelli. Yeah.
Got hit with one of his own mortars up at the DMZ.
- That’s crazy, man. - Shit, I heard about that.
Remember the twins, Phil and Larry Powell?
The twins. They were great wrestlers.
They were fucking great. Tough bastards.
When Phil got killed...
Larry, who wasn’t much too much in the brains department either...
- went down the next day and joined up. - Oh, God.
- Then he got hit. - Oh, no.
- I’m telling you it’s true. - Right away?
A land mine or something.
He got hit in the head with a tree, for Christ’s sake. Yeah.
I’m telling you the truth.
He goes over to Vietnam, and he gets killed by a flying fucking tree.
That’s really fucking funny. I think the whole town got devastated.
I don’t think we got a fucking friend left.
It’s really funny.
When did you get hit, Timmy?
September 18.
Near Dong Ha.
A lot of bad shit up there. I’m telling you.
Things I don’t even want to talk about. You know....
It was crazy.
Shooting anything that fucking moved.
When did you get hit?
Me? Well....
January 20.
Someplace off.... I don’t even remember. Near some river up in the DMZ.
Walked into a whole battalion of them. Got shot in the foot.
I just got up, running around like I was...
back in the woods again, like I was John fucking Wayne...
emptying a mag, screaming, "Come on, Charlie, motherfucker.
"Come on out, Charlie, motherfucker!"
I heard a crack above my right ear, and I just felt my body...
drop out from under me.
Christ, I thought I was dead for sure.
- How was the hospital? - It sucked.
- I know. - Really bad.
I’ll tell you something. Sometimes at night...
I get these headaches, you know. Bad.
They just kind of come over me and these fucking doctors don’t know shit.
They just come, like I’m going crazy or something.
I don’t feel like me anymore, you know?
When they come, I feel like somebody else.
- What do you do when that happens? - Nothing. Not a goddamn thing.
Mostly I do a lot of drugs.
Do anything you can. You get through it any way you know how.
When I was in the hospital, I thought, "Yeah, this makes sense."
- What makes sense. - ‘Cause I failed, Timmy.
What are you talking about?
‘Cause I....
‘Cause I killed someone, some people.
I made some terrible...
mistakes.
Christ’s sakes, we all made mistakes.
You had no choice.
Those damn pansy demonstrators will never understand.
You dont have to talk about it. It was insane over there. It was crazy.
Sometimes I wish I’d....
First time I got hit, I was shot in the foot, I could have laid down.
Who gives a fuck now if I was a hero or not?
I was paralyzed, castrated that day. Why?
‘Cause I was so stupid.
I’d have my dick and my balls now and I think....
I think I’d give everything I believe in, everything I got...
all my values just to have my body again, just to be whole again.
But I’m not whole. I never will be, and that’s...
the way it is, isn’t it?
For Christ’s sake, Ronnie. It’s your birthday.
You’re alive.
You made it.
Smile.
Syracuse, New York, next stop.
Those long letters I wrote you from over there?
- Crazy stuff. - That’s all right.
I had to say everything I couldn’t say when we were growing up.
They were beautiful letters.
I wasn’t too sure about the spelling in them.
Who cares if you can spell?
There was a lot of feeling in the words.
I’m so sorry for what happened to you.
My mom called me at school and told me.
I was just so shocked.
I wanted to reach out and help you.
It was just so frustrating.
I just stood in the hallway of my dorm room shaking.
I couldn’t say anything.
Donna.
- They need you over at Locklin. - I can’t right now, later.
Don’t forget about the meeting.
- 9:00? - Yeah. Thanks.
- I’m sorry. - You’re real busy.
We’ve got this Kent State demonstration tomorrow.
I’m on the organizing committee.
Kent State. I heard about that.
- It was terrible. - It’s terrible.
When I saw that girl lying in that pool of blood at Kent State...
I kept on thinking of that poster of the children that were killed at My Lai.
And I kept on thinking about you over there...
and all the boys who’ve died...
who’ve sacrificed their bodies and their minds.
The war is so wrong. It’s so wrong.
I just had to do something.
We dont need arms
We need hands to hold
And we don’t need bombs
Strike now, shut it down!
I’m not saying that you are...
but if you have any feelings against the war, you could really help.
You’ve been there. You know what it’s like.
You could tell people what’s happening, and they’d really listen to you.
Remember the prom?
Moon River Wider than the sea
My huckleberry friend
- Remember that? - Yeah.
Moon River for me
Was I crazy that night, running through the rain.
I just had to dance with you before I went in.
I just had to dance with you. I don’t know, it was like I knew.
I made a promise to myself that I would come back...
and love you forever.
The Reverend can’t make it tomorrow.
- What? - He can’t make it.
What can we do? Who can we get?
- Just let me think. I’ll see you later. - Better hurry.
I got to go inside.
Do you want to come?
- No, I don’t think so. - Okay.
Maybe I’ll hang around. Maybe we’ll talk later.
I’ll see you later.
One, two, three, four! We don’t want your fucking war!
Five, six, seven, eight! We don’t want to escalate!
lt’s great to be a free Syracuse University.
We’re really getting an education now, aren’t we?
- Right on, man! Shut it down! - Right freaking on!
Yesterday I was at Brooklyn College, NYU. They were both closed down.
Over 200 high schools are closed down. Over 400 universities are closed down.
I’ll be twice that number by the time....
This is an unlawful assembly.
If you do not disperse....
The people that killed the kids at Kent State...
have names like General Waste-more-land.
Spiro Agnew.
Tricky Dicky Nixon.
Wait for the command.
And then we go to Washington...
confront the war makers in their own house.
On to Washington. On to the White House.
I loved this country once.
And all this I won over there. Check it out.
Purple Heart, Bronze Star...
all of the commendation medals, all the rest of that garbage...
it don’t mean a thing.
Fuck this shit.
This is war. I said this is war.
They just killed two brothers at Jackson State.
Stand by to gas.
Take them down.
What’s going on?
Get out! Get out of here!
Get back! Get back!
Donna!
The whole world’s watching.
Donna!
My machine breaks down, and they’re ready to cut my leg off.
And that’s what the guy....
That’s what the guy in the hospital said. He said:
"You can take your Vietnam, and you can stuff it up your ass."
That’s what it’s about in Vietnam.
Hey, Mel!
Double shot of rye, beer chaser, sweetheart.
They ain’t fighting the war to win, anyway.
They should just bomb Hanoi and get the boys the fuck out of there.
Four, corner, hard way.
Vietnam.
They ought to write a song about something that gets under your skin.
Remember Del Shannon? Runaway?
As I walk along
I wonder what went wrong
To our love
A love that was so strong
I’ll tell you what went wrong It was fucking Vietnam
It was the wrong fucking war.
Take a shot, will you?
You can take your Vietnam...
and you can shove it up your fucking ass.
You shove it up your ass, pal.
Is everybody supposed to feel sorry because you’re in a fucking wheelchair?
- What? - You ain’t the only fucking Marine here.
I was on Iwo Jima. We lost 5,000 men the first day.
Don’t cry in your fucking beer to me.
You served and you lost. You got to live with it.
You’re a Marine, man. Semper fi.
You picked them. They didn’t pick you. Quit your fucking pissing and moaning.
- Who is this asshole? - I don’t know. Leave it alone.
I think guys...
like you...
are dumb fucking assholes. That’s what I think.
I bet you do, you sorry son of a bitch.
‘Cause you know if they win, your ass will be the first against the wall.
You know you can’t trust a fucking traitor.
Call me a fucking traitor?
If you weren’t in that chair....
I am in this chair.
- Top of the ninth, Charlie. - Shut the fuck up.
Come on, Phil, forget it.
- Bullshit! - He’s a nut job!
Come on, Ronnie, he ain’t fucking worth it.
What’s happening? What’s your name?
Jenny.
- Penny? - Jenny.
How about going to Mexico with me tonight?
Mexico? What do you mean, Mexico?
I mean, you’re really beautiful. That’s what I mean.
A really beautiful place...
the ocean...
the sand, sun.
We could leave tonight. We could take a plane. Let’s go tonight.
I think you’re really crazy.
- What’s going on? -Same old shit.
- I bet you practiced a lot. - I’ve got a lifetime of practice, Jenny.
You all right? I don’t mean to laugh.
Shut up, Janet.
Look at him. He’s fucking shitfaced!
Get back. Give him some room.
Get him the fuck out of here.
Give me my chair. I just want to dance.
Give me my chair.
I got it.
Come on. Let’s go. Come on.
Come on. Let’s go.
What’s going on? Are you drunk again?
Hey, Mom.
He’s drunk again. We have a drunk for a son.
You leave that alone.
You can’t stay in this house.
This is what you believe in...
but I don’t.
I don’t believe in him any more. He only spent three days up there.
I have to spend the rest of my life.
- I wish I were dead like him. - You don’t know what you’re saying.
That’s the problem. I’m not dead. I got to live.
I got to roll around and remind them of Vietnam.
You don’t want to see us.
You want to hide us ‘cause it is a can of shit.
- And I am a fucking dummy. - He won’t listen. He won’t change.
Take your mom seriously. You can’t drink in this house.
I believed everything they told us. "Go fight! Go kill!
"Sergeant man, Marine Corps! Yo, squad! Left, squad, right!"
And it’s all a lie. The whole thing is a bunch of lies.
Stop it. Go to bed. You sleep it off.
What did they do to you in that war? What happened to you?
You need help, Ronnie.
You need help...
with all your God and your bullshit dreams about me.
You are ashamed of me. You’re embarrassed by me.
Go to sleep. You go to bed.
- Fuck you. - What did you say to me?
Mom!
Fuck you.
You’ll wake the whole neighborhood.
Wake them up. Tell them.
Cusacks, Camelettis, Walshes!
You tell them all what they did to me...
what they did to this whole block, this whole country.
- They’ll call the police. - We went to Vietnam to stop communism.
- We shot women and children. - You didn’t shoot women and children.
The Church blessed the war. Communism, the insidious evil.
- They told us to go. - Yes, that’s what they told us.
"Thou shall not kill," Mom.
Thou shall not kill women and children. Thou shall not kill, remember?
- Isn’t that what you taught us? - Stop it.
I don’t want you in this house. You’re out of this house.
- You made your point. - I haven’t made my point!
They’re killing everyone now.
- I didn’t force you to go. - Yes, you did.
And it’s all falling apart.
King, Kennedy, Kent State.
- We all lost the fucking war. - It’s not my fault.
Communism won. It’s all for nothing.
- That’s not true. - How do you know? What do you know?
You tell her, Dad!
Tell her it’s a lie. It’s a fucking lie.
There’s no God. God is as dead as my legs. There’s no God. There’s no country.
It’s nothing. It’s just me in this fucking wheelchair...
for the rest of my life for nothing.
Me and this....
- This dead penis. - Oh, God!
- No, not with the catheter, for God’s sake. - Penis!
I can’t stand it any more. To hell with you.
In church they say it’s a sin...
if you play with your penis. I just wish I could.
Don’t say "penis" in this house.
- Penis! - Stop!
Penis. Big fucking erect penis, Mom.
- Stop! - Penis. Penis.
He won’t let go. What can I do?
I never even got time to learn how to use it.
It’s gone in some fucking jungle over in Asia.
Just gone for....
I’m sorry it happened this way.
I’m sorry you’re sad, Mom.
I’m so sorry you’re sad.
I’m so fucked up.
Maybe a little trip is all you need.
That place in Mexico you were talking about.
I don’t want to go to Mexico. I don’t want to go no place.
I think you should go.
What can I do?
What do you want?
I want to be a man again.
Who’s going to love me, Dad?
Who’s ever going to love me?
Who’s going to love me?
Villa Dulce, Mexico - 1970
You maggots, ante up, US $5. Let’s go. Ante up.
Ed, you’re light.
The game is seven-card stud, one up, two down.
One up, two down. We got a five, a jack.
That’s a fucking joker, a king.
A bullet, the price of poker just went up, gentlemen.
Charlie buys a queen.
Two down, two down.
Big blue eyes, what’s your name?
- What’s that? - What’s your name?
Ron. Ron Kovic.
- Just what we need. Another limp dick. - Where from?
Massapequa, Long Island.
Say hello to Ron Kovic. Just in from the States.
Hi, Ron.
Laugh, motherfucker. Go ahead, you’ll get yours.
Fuck you.
Put your hand in my crotch.
- What’s your name? - Charlie, from Chicago.
- How long has this game been going on? - Fifty-five hours.
How long you been here?
A hundred fucking years.
‘Cause I got a gun.
I ain’t ever going back. Fuck the States.
Nobody understood. Nobody gave a shit.
The fucking women didn’t even want to look at me.
Fucking States. I ain’t never going back.
I want something simple.
You’re so beautiful.
Ain’t she beautiful?
She’s beautiful.
Go into town. Get yourself one.
Fuck the shit out of you, even if you are paralyzed.
Ain’t that right, Martha?
You know what they say: If you ain’t got it in the hips...
you better have it in the lips.
Don’t stay here, man. Get the fuck out.
You’re really drunk on this mescal shit...
when you swallow the worm and don’t even know you did it.
Last round of betting. Let’s go, maggots.
Are you from Villa Dulce?
Yeah.
- We go? - What’s that?
Do you want to go upstairs?
No, I’m just looking around.
I just came in. Yeah, I’d like to go upstairs.
- Good. Then come. - Let’s do it.
- What’s your name? - Maria Elena.
The money.
Sorry, I don’t know how much.
This is good.
Why don’t you take them off?
It doesn’t matter. I can’t feel anything. I was paralyzed in the war.
- Vietnam? - Yes.
You let me see?
No. Doesn’t move.
I can’t. It’s no good.
- Yes, let me see. - No. Look, please.
The spine was severed. I have no movement, no feeling.
There’s nothing down here at all.
Nothing happens.
We’re going to have a good time.
It’s going to be okay.
- You like? - Yes. You’re very pretty.
How was it?
Did you get one? Did you get two?
Look out. Banzai, motherfucker.
She loves you, right, tiger?
Thanks a lot. It was great.
Just remember: keep one hand on her tits...
and the other hand on your wallet.
Paradise. Right, man?
Can I see this?
Yeah, I’ll do it, man.
It don’t mean a fucking thing.
I’ll be here tomorrow.
You couldn’t keep me away with a baseball bat.
I’ll be here for sure.
- We get married today? - Yeah, that would be great.
Hi.
Want to fuck me, mister?
I’ll give you a blow job?
Mister, you want me? 60 pesos.
Let’s go.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Wilson...
I don’t know how to tell you this.
I knew your son in Vietnam.
He was....
I’m going to kill that fucking guy.
I got him once. I’ll kill him now.
You’ll see. I’m serious.
Your body.
I’m just going to fucking kill him.
I’ll fucking kill you.
I’ll kill you, bitch. You can’t talk to me like that.
Get out.
The bitch thinks it’s funny I can’t move my dick.
Fuck her.
I’ll kill you, bitch.
Fuck all you Mexican motherfuckers.
You don’t like it, get out.
Don’t touch my friend.
- Don’t you touch me. - Get the hell out.
Don’t come back no more.
I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for that fucking war.
Fuck all of you!
- You sure you told him the right place? - I told him fucking Villa Rosa!
Villa Rosa, señor. Beautiful place. You’ll see.
Great whorehouse there, man. Wait until we get there.
Beautiful señoritas with big tits, small tits--
That goddamned fucking slut. That Mexican scumbag cunt.
I think I saw a sign, Villa Rosa, 10 minutes ago.
How far you going, taco head?
Wasn’t that turn back there? That sign that said "Villa Rosa"?
Look at the meter. It’s rigged. He’s rigged the fucking meter.
I told you fucking Villa Rosa!
- What are we going to do now? - Fuck them.
Yeah, sure. How we going to get out of here?
Fuck them all. Fuck the whores.
Fuck the cab drivers.
Fuck Mexico.
Fuck Nixon, fuck Vietnam, fuck them all.
But how we going to get out of here?
They made me kill babies, man.
Little gook babies. You ever have to kill a baby?
Okay, come on. We’ll get a ride. We got to get back to the villa.
Fuck you! What do you mean, okay?
What do you mean, "okay"? You ever have to kill a little gook baby?
What the fuck do you know what I did?
- I didn’t think so. You’re full of shit. - No, you are.
Leave me the fuck alone. You’re nuts.
The fucking sun is going down. We got to get out of here.
Don’t shit me, Kovic. You never killed a baby.
You never had to kill a baby.
You never put your soul into that war, never put your soul on the line.
How the fuck do you know?
Maybe I killed more babies than you did, you fuck.
Maybe I did, but I don’t talk about it. I don’t have to talk about it.
Why the fuck not?
What are you hiding? What are you, better than anybody else?
You a hero? Is that what you are?
Maybe you got a bunch of medals, but deep down you’re full of shit.
You never fought that war. You weren’t even there.
What do you mean, I wasn’t there?
Come on, hero, come clean.
- Why should I? - What are you hiding?
You’re the one that’s hiding here in Mexico.
- What are you hiding from? - Don’t shit me.
- You never killed a baby, anybody, did you? - Did you?
Ever look at yourself in the fucking mirror?
- Fuck you. - You.
- Fuck you! - No, fuck you!
Get off me!
We need a ride.
- You okay, man? - Fuck you. You’re full of shit.
You don’t get it.
I had a town once...
had a mother and father. Things that made sense.
Do you remember things that made sense...
things you could count on...
before we all got so lost?
What are we going to do?
What am I going to do?
Where you from, Wilson?
Venus, Georgia.
Georgia? This is my second tour. I haven’t seen a Georgia boy get hurt yet.
Yeah, I know about Wilson.
Sir, I think I might have killed him, sir.
- I think I might have killed him. - I don’t think so.
You don’t have to worry about them dogs. They won’t bite.
Y’all get away now. Get on away.
It’s all right.
They’re probably just afraid of that chair.
Mr. Wilson, I’m Ron.
Thanks for seeing me.
Any friend of Billy’s is a friend of ours.
Why don’t you come on in the house?
My wife fixed some chicken, if you want some.
It was a real nice funeral.
Marine Honor Guard came all the way down from Atlanta...
in their fancy uniforms.
Fired their rifles up in the sky. The drums was beating.
‘Course it was nothing like the big war 100 years ago down here.
But there was Billy and Bruce Crabtree...
Andy Henderson.
- And the Rutledge boy, Lance. - He was a nice boy.
For the life of me, I still can’t quite figure that war out.
Why we had to go all that dang way to fight it.
And why’s we had to lose so many young men.
Can’t figure it out.
But we got a proud tradition here in this town.
Billy’s great-grandfather was at the First Bull Run.
My pa was over in France in ’18.
Don’t forget, you were over in the Pacific in ‘44.
- Guadalcanal. - Is that right?
I guess this family’s fought in every war that this country’s ever had.
I reckon we’re ready to do it again if we have to.
‘Course they never did know what done happened and all.
There was a letter from a colonel, I think it was.
- Col. Moore. - That’s right, Col. Moore.
He said there was a bad ambush one night.
Said that Billy distinguished himself in the fighting.
He also told us that Billy died real quick.
That’s good that he died quick.
I was his squad Ieader.
I didn’t know Billy real well. He was new, kind of quiet.
We didn’t talk much to new guys.
- He was 19, is that right? - That’s right.
- Only son? - Yes, sir. My only boy.
I think he said he was married and you were pregnant?
I remember the day he was killed.
It was a strange day.
We were out on patrol near a beach area...
and it was very confusing. There was screaming and firing.
It was getting late...
and there were these children...
these babies that we killed by mistake.
How awful.
And then it got really crazy.
Then we had to pull back because the NVA were coming up on us.
And we got scattered in the dunes.
People were yelling at anything, firing at anything.
And that was when it happened.
I was confused...
scared.
I raised my rifle three times...
and shots....
The body fell in the dunes.
God, this is very difficult for me to say.
We don’t have to hear this, Ron.
But I think I was the one that killed your son.
I was the one.
What’s done is done.
I can’t ever forgive you, but maybe the Lord can.
We understand, Ron.
We understand the pain you’ve been going through.
Peace now!
Bring our brothers home now!
One, two, three, four, we don’t want your fucking war!
Drugs. Marijuana. Traffic violations.
Separate the hippies.
Tonight, I again proudly accept your nomination...
for President of the United States.
And let us pledge ourselves to win an even greater victory...
this November in 1972.
Four more years.
Can I break through your complacency?
Do you have compassion for the people suffering in this war?
Do you hear me when I tell you that this war is a crime?
I’m not as bitter about my wounds....
Who do you think you are?
Can I help you, sir? You can’t come through.
- You can’t come through, sir. - I have a pass.
Who are these people?
You can’t stop us. You can’t stop me.
Why are you here tonight? What do you have to say to these people?
My name’s Ron Kovic. I’m a Vietnam veteran.
I’m here tonight to say that this war is wrong...
that this society lied to me and my brothers.
It deceived the people in this country.
It tricked them into going 13,000 miles...
to fight a war against a poor peasant people...
who have a proud history of resistance...
who have been struggling for their own independence...
for 1,000 years. The Vietnamese people.
I cant find the words to express...
how the leadership of this government sickens me.
People say....
People say if you don’t love America then get the hell out.
I love America. We love the people of America very much...
but when it comes to the government, it stops right there.
The government is a bunch of corrupt thieves.
They are rapists and robbers.
We are here to say we don’t have to take it anymore.
We are here to tell the truth.
They’re killing our brothers in Vietnam. We want them to hear the truth.
Traitor.
What are you, a communist?
Is this what we get, sir? Spit in the face?
We’re never going to let the people of United States forget that war.
Four more years.
You’re not sweeping it under the rug because you didn’t like the ratings.
This wheelchair, our wheelchairs, this steel, our steel...
is your Memorial Day on wheels.
We’re your Yankee Doodle Dandy come home.
Let’s reject any philosophy...
that would make us a divided people of America.
Stop the bombing! Stop the war!
Some sort of scuffle or commotion has broken out on the convention floor.
Disabled veterans protesting the Vietnam War.
We’ll try to get a mike down there.
Why are they gassing us in the parking lot? Why are they fighting us?
Because it’s a lie. The truth is, they’ve killed...
a whole generation of young men.
They have sacrificed a whole generation of young men.
Stop the bombing!
Communists!
Stop the bombing. Stop the war.
Traitor! Go home!
I say to you tonight...
in these times.
when there is so much of a tendency to run down...
those who have served America in the past and today...
let’s give those who have served in Vietnam...
the honor and the respect that they deserve and that they’ve earned.
One, two, three, four, we don’t like your fucking war.
Get the car.
Shut the fuck up.
You’re under arrest, Kovic! Come on!
- What? - Shut up!
You’re a pig?
You should’ve died over there, you traitor.
I don’t have balance.
Give me your fucking hands.
Okay, I’ll go with you.
I don’t have any stomach muscles. I don’t have balance.
Take it easy.
Get your hands behind you.
I’m paralyzed.
Get those cameras out of here.
I’m paralyzed.
Get in the fucking car.
My chair!
Tactical line!
Advance and disperse the crowd!
Let me go.
- You okay? - I’m okay.
- Doc, is he okay? - I’m okay.
How we doing here?
- How many fingers you got? - Ten.
Your head is cut. Anyplace else hurting?
I’m okay. Where’s my chair?
You’re cut over your eye.
The media’s got to see this.
We heard you shouted down Nixon.
Eddie was arrested, they beat Peterson...
O’Malley’s gassed real bad and Piscatelli’s got a concussion.
It’s a fucking mess over there.
Frankie, bring the media to the gate.
- What? - The pigs are coming.
They’re clearing the park. They’ve arrested, like, 30 people--
Listen up!
We’re going to take the hall back. You hear that?
We’re going to the gate...
we’re gonna take the motherfucking hall back.
Fall out! Let’s move!
Let us reject the notion...
Four years later - Democratic National Convention - New York City, 1976
of politics of the few, by the few, and for the few.
We dedicate ourselves to the notion..
that this is a government of the people, by the people, and for all the people.
black, brown, red, yellow, white, women...
young, old, workers, students.
This is our land in this country.
Ransom, the feminist, she’s six minutes over.
I got the Jackson people breathing down my neck.
Who follows? It’s not gonna be a problem.
Mr. Kovic? We’re just about ready for you.
Can I get you anything?
Let’s do it.
Okay, Ron. It’s your time.
It’s been a long way to get here. Tell them what it is, Ron.
Come on, Ronnie.
Go get them, man. For Eddie, man.
Ronnie for President!
The whole world’s watching. I love you.
All right, Frankie.
I feel good.
Ronnie for President.
Congratulations.
I love what you’re doing.
Clear a path for me, please. Stand back. Thank you.
I had a dream, Ronnie.
You were speaking to a large crowd.
And you were saying great things.
Our next speaker is one of our Vietnam veterans...
who has something very special to say tonight.
Please...
please be quiet.
Coming up top.
What will you say tonight, Mr. Kovic?
- I’m just going to tell the truth. - Any plans for the future?
I guess we’ll see.
Mr. Kovic, could you please sign your book?
A young man who comes from Massapequa, Long Island.
Coming through.
All right, sweetheart. Straight on through.
How does it feel to address the entire country?
Overwhelming, an honor....
It’s been a long way for us, the vets.
Just lately, I’ve felt like I’m home.
Like, maybe we’re home.
Welcome home, Ronnie.
Go get them, Ron!