Gerald Nicosia, author of the definitive history of the Vietnam veterans movement, Home to War, reads a statement from Ron Kovic, a former Marine sergeant, who was paralyzed during his second tour of duty in Vietnam. He wrote about his life and antiwar activism in the best-selling Born on the Fourth of July. Nicosia introduces the statement with two comments by Kovic: the courage required of soldiers and veterans to speak against the policies and actions of their own nation deserves recognition and honor; and in testifying, they are not just saving lives, but also saving the soul of their country. In his statement, Kovic attests to his horror at watching what he calls “the mirror image of another Vietnam unfolding in Iraq,” noting ruefully that many Vietnam veterans promised themselves long ago that they would never allow what happened to them happen again. He ends with a call to action “It is time to stop the war machine,” he writes. “Precious lives are at stake, both American and Iraqi.”