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From the film archives: 'Born on the Fourth' true emotional tale
0703-GO-CRUISE
Tom Cruise, right, chats with anti-war activist Ron Kovic on Dec. 3, 2003, in Los Angeles. Cruise portrayed Kovic in the 1989 film, “Born on the Fourth of the July.”
Andrew Akers
Updated: Jul 3, 2014, 5:00 AM
Published: Jul 2, 2014, 10:29 PM
Friday is Independence Day, a time to celebrate everything it means to be American. But what does it mean to be patriotic? Is it unquestionable allegiance, standing up for what you believe or the willingness to fight and die for what you believe in?
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Column: The ‘good ol’ days’ are long gone
Ronda Rich
Ronda Rich
Ronda Rich
For The Times
Published: Mar 25, 2025, 11:09 PM
Back in the 1990s, when the fashions were terrible and no one could find the right hairstyle, I was having a long conversation with an old friend. We talked of our days in racing when engines blew up — or “blowed up” as the country boys said — and of the “make believe” debris that would supposedly bring out a caution flag, which tightened the field of cars and kept the race competitive.
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