Upon his return from Vietnam he became a different kind of war hero: a hero of conscience, a hero of peace, in the great tradition of Gandhi and Martin Luther King.
In the years to come, Ron became a passionate advocate for peace. He spoke out repeatedly against the poor conditions in America's veteran's hospitals. He protested the United States' support for the undemocratic government of El Salvador in the 1980's. Finally, in 1991, director Oliver Stone brought Ron's story to the attention of the world with his film, Born on the Fourth of July, starring Tom Cruise.