Here. I spent any evenings on the second floor and listening to the local authors talk about the books. So i really appreciate the invitation. I want to say hi to everybody out there who have not been able to see facetoface, in person. So thank you for tuning in. Obviously i am doubly honored that ron has agreed to speak with me tonight about the book. Go back. We were introduced by a local, years ago. Ron has been very encouraging and helped me quite a bit with this book in terms of background and research and so forth. Enron of course with a vietnam veteran, most of the book that i wrote is about World War Two veterans and i want to give you a little bit of a background before and i start speaking. Before world war ii, if you are paralyzed, you. Much but no helper as they would be called. Instead the average lifespan of someone would be 18 months of someone wanted in world war i. World war ii was a game changer, the advent of penicillin. In other drugs. They had surgical units are behind the battlefield, regular the frontlines. And better evacuation back to the mainland. So by the end of the World War Two, you part about 2500, u. S. Veterans who are paralyzed in return home. And they had a chance and a lifespan. This is the first cohort that was going to happen. It presented a dilemma. In a bit of an issue for the va, the veterans administration. And the government. In other words, how do we take care of these men. Before, basically they were immobilized and full body plaster cast and shut off into institutions for basically, if they were a family, they were in a family home. They had no mobility. The cliche of the term, can find a wheelchair, full through. Because you cannot move around. They were unwilling wheelchairs. Like living room furniture. And then again, was a game changer. World war two, there were wheelchairs that were made locally and they were a game changer because they could fold. Good for them in the car and then drive away and get a job. And start a family and so forth. Police 2500 paralyzed veterans were pioneers. In one of the Key Attributes of rehabilitation and rehabilitation management in the va hospitals was recreated and you would seek one of the first wheelchair basketball groups ever played. It was at ms. Karen penton Madison Square garden in 1940 and youll see them using the dinning chairs. Which in todays world, we would think of as just incredibly oldfashioned. Not very maneuverable. Back then, those were stateoftheart. And this is a game featuring paralyzed veterans from the hospital in massachusetts. We came down to new york city to play against a hospital. And you can see the game is very sort of crude. Theres a whole lot of offense of plays and things like that. But is the first time that paralyzed veterans and paraplegics are displayed in front of huge crowds. 15000 people. Admiring these pis some of these veterans who have managed to start a normal life. And sports was part of that. And hot and the key themes and we will see this in the next clip, one of the key teams and by the way, this was sort of the result. He had media coverage. This was one of the players in that game. He was wounded at normandy. And here he is on the cover of news again. Every media outlet cover these guys from the communist daily worker to popular mechanics. And here in southern california, there was wheelchair basketball. And this was out of the birmingham va hospital in the san fernando valley. This caught the attention of hollywood. And the first hollywood movie marlon brando, and he plays a paralyzed veteran. In a three having and some of this was filmed out in van nuys. And these are some of the exercises. Its one of the reason why the best ball became so popular. For the veterans but for others. Because it did help lift the chest, the arms and the shoulder muscles which are so important for paraplegics because for helping them to move around. And have the strength to be able to do this. Heres what i was mentioning about jennings. Hes getting into the car with his costar there. And then they go right into the second seat. And he can drive away. These are especially adaptive cars for the paraplegics. And you will see the house is now blocking and. In these paralyzed veterans formed a pda the paralyzed veterans of america when this team from birmingham would go on the road and stop in washington dc and adaptive cars and striving to build a house. And here we see implying wheelchair basketball. Im playing sports. This was shot at the pool there. And one of the bedrooms, i write extensively about the book was in this film. In the used a bunch of extras who are paralyzed veterans. As background actors. And again you see obviously, this was a very attractive girl to him. His first role acting. In becoming a star. Ron, your played by marlon brando. You are played by tom cruise. [laughter]. Ron david, first off i wanted to tell you is a pleasure to be participating. My very first wheelchair was a jennings closure. You may become very old. And it was the first chair i had. It worked for me back then. It was 1968. I was shot on january 20th, 1968 on my second tour of duty as a marine in vietnam. The dmz area. And i was shot through the right shoulder and went to my right lung and paralyzed me mid chest down. Been paralyzed from a mid chest down to the last, 53 years. I remember reading yesterday that even after world war ii, a lot of the quadriplegics and paraplegics were not living past one year or 18 months and she said. Im so grateful to be alive, still alive. I have lost any friends along the way. This is not an easy disability, and easy physical challenge to deal with. If psychologically, emotionally, it is a great challenge. David maybe you can tell us about that. Unit up at the bronx va. David yes and ironically was later investigated by life magazine. They did a frontpage reference cover of the forgotten food. There was a title. It shook up the whole ba. Is a story of neglect, the young men coming back from vietnam some of the most catastrophic injuries you can imagine. Paraplegics, quadriplegics. Human life from the neck down. Some of the most severe, being neglected. Overcrowded conditions. Im sure any of you who are watching the sound might have scenes in the movie tom cruise will become a board and july, that was true. That is how i begin my life at the age of 21. Im in this place, not only was i dealing with paralysis but just having the shock of lust three quarters of my body come everything for my chest down. It would never be able to make children. I must say, from the moment i left the field of battle and i received last right from the Catholic Church. They didnt know if i would make it or not. Ive never not felt grateful to be alive. Everything today. No matter how hard its gotten over the years. And theres been some really difficult moments especially in the early years. Depressing moments, moments when i drink way too much. Moments when i came close to giving up. And leaving this world way too early. Youre the part of me gnu today they did out of there barely. Gotten out of there. The bullet went through my right foot and blew out the back of the hill. I could no one walk. Tonight around to my right shoulder and set up my spine from the chest down. Cannot move. My rifle was in the stand and it wouldnt fire anymore. It was jammed. In the first marine to come up from behind, was shot in the heart from the honey he was killed instantly. In another rain came back a few moments later came up from behind, grabbed me and through me over his shoulder and money back under heavy fire and save my life. I have never forgotten the day. And how lucky i am who have survived even during the most difficult times. The early years were very difficult. Any of the young woman were severely wounded paralyzed veterans. This first few years were too much for them. But some of us decided to go on. I remember sitting in my room in my wheelchair and i was all alone and they remember having this feeling, thinking to myself out of my make it through another day. We would have some of the veterans from world war ii and korea coming to our room at the va. And they were inspiring. Just to see these guys who had been in these vultures for five or ten years and even longer. I cannot believe it. I just trying to make it through every single day. And psychologically and emotionally and physically overwhelming for me. I have no idea how i would live with this thing. But how is going to deal with it. It could have never imagined that i would have the future that i mentally. That was able to eventually address the Democratic National convention in new york. And i was able to write a book. I became a bestseller and run around the world. And i was able to eventually have a movie made of my life. So i feel blessed. My life in any ways has been a blessing in disguise. Athleticism. And you talk about the whole wheelchair festival. When i got out of the hospital david, i decided through the g. I. Bill, had the opportunity. It was a great student believe me. I had to go to Summer School just to get a general diploma which was mailed to me. So i was not going to college and had decided that i would join the marines and make my mom and dad proud. And that in the coming home paralyzed. But i remember that it was just david how did you get started brought in terms of after you out of the va hospital, and he played basketball. How did that happen. David will first of all, i was able to go to college. My academic standing was not the best of the time. So that i was still able to go. They gave me an opportunity to go. They had a Basketball Team i went. It it was called the ruling dutchmans. I grew up wanting to play the new york yankees. I mean, theres only in basketball and football and wiffleball treated if you came from new york, you were heavily in the sports. And we were in our neighborhood. And Mickey Mantle and roger medicine. In all of these dreams of being a hero. I was very strong and athletic. It was a gymnast in high school. And even before i joined the ruling dutchmans, will chair festival team, which was quite an experience for me. I used to shoot baskets. When i would have some time, there was a court just at the va, just down this little hill. There was a little possible corporative good by myself or hours. Two or three hours. And i would just shoot. And i loved it. And i did that by myself until i found out they had this organized wheelchair Basketball Team at the university. I decided to join. Now what led me to join is that i had my First Political organization that i decided to join, interestingly enough was called push. People united to support the handicapped. So my First Organization in politics, and as the years, i would be involved in a lot of politics and protests. But this organization was made of exclusively, cerebral palsy, the blind, sight impaired, you name it. We had it. And back then, you have to understand, is very for multiple this time. There were more people in the streets, demonstrations, revolution was in the year and even this group that met once a week at the university was what led me to eventually join the best looking. I was filled with passion and filled with an a certain sense of rebellion. The school was that way. The country was extremely polarized. Any of you who lived during that time and the good fortune of living through that extraordinary time. In history where the vietnam war and the country was split our unit very similar in any ways to what is going on right now. I have to say that this organization push, that was the First Organization that gave me a certain confidence in a particular moment women and who ironically, shed been in high school. She eventually became an author later in life. And she says passed away. Connie who a dedicated born on the fourth of july 2, i remember leaving the va one day during, they allowed me to go there on my day off so that i can meet the dean it was going to allow me to go to this school. I can still remember his name. Dean seiter. Allen into the office and there was this girl in the office in a wheelchair. Connie was her name. With a severe disability. That occurred at birth. And she said to me you look familiar. Did you go to my high school. She said i used to watch you with your Varsity Center walking past me in the hallway. I said i remember you, you were the only disabled person was here in our entire selected. And she said yes. She said i started to drive her home. Because she needed to drive home. She said she did. But i would drive her home and she was not far from my town. I would drop her off the negative her parents. One thing led to another chance me to join this People United to support the handicapped for everything from, you must know that at the university, they were really at the forefront back then. It was find itself in the fact that it was catering to and welcoming the disabled and welcoming, this was a big change in the early 70s. And it eventually led to the american with disabilities act. But she was the one who led me to this First Political organization physically challenged people. And then from there, she said well you know, get a wheelchair Basketball Team here and hobson university. Went on to go down. It know that you were an athlete in high school. And you are a wrestler varsity presser. And you love sports. What you go down. So i went down and they allowed me and they accepted me. My level of injury was. High is illustrated had no balance. But it was thrilling. It really was. As exciting to be with other young men like myself with very similar disabilities and to be competing. To actually be competing. There was a feeling of transcending rated where it for you forgot, for moment you were not thinking about being paralyzed. In the moment you were shooting baskets. Youre trying to make shot. This was exciting, it was wonderful. And he great inside. Physically. Having whatever depressin depren mightve had her doubts or feelings, coming out was dealing with a lot of not just physical but because of what had gone through, during my second tour of duty. I was dealing with a lot of psychological trauma. What i had gone through during that second tour. I was struggling with it. I was struggling with whether i had a right to stay alive or to give up. I felt a tremendous amount of survivors guilt. And wondered if i deserved to be alive. Because others had died and i survived and people have been responsible for who and then into battle had been killed. And yet i was still alive. Even though i was paralyzed. I felt the terrible guilt. And i lived with that for a long time. It was a long journey to move through that sand to be able to emerge from that and be able to forgive myself. And to forgive those who mightve sent me to the war. Ron nano, that is quite all right. And i want to circle back and sing that you mentioned and previously about when you are the va, and you have a guess in a sense, the sports of World War Two and korean war. Had. David for the veterans who gone through. So i am laying there in my bed and you have these guys come in here with this copy very positive attitude. How you doing. As a going. Collis rodriguez sedo. One of the real inspirations and founders early founders of paralyzed veterans of america. A real character and halfbreed real mover and shaker. Had that thick new york bronx accent or whatever. How you doing. What is going on. How can we help you. Wikimedia. How long have you been in the wheelchair. And i had had a difficult day and what if i could make through the 19 over 86, and in wiltshire about 12 years. When the korea. The size would come into our rooms and they were very important to us back then. And a man who had been paralyzed so severely that he had, he was paralyzed from the neck down if you can imagine. And there was a full and his throat, with little cork out of it. Rose about it in the book. Wednesday, that would pull out that cork, and it would put a tube in there and i would have to listen to this. And all of the rest of the guys in there about three or four others. They would be suctioning the fun out of his lungs and he would not get the money apart and heard that everything today. It was just, so moving. I felt so lucky to be alive. And yet here was a guy right across from me who was just trying to live ahead. Delete that was ahead. And how could these people inspire you. And people like the world war ii vets. In the korean vets, coming into your room and telling you, you can do something with your life. Your life is not over. And for a long time, i remember the guy would come in and he was recruiting paraplegics work for the watch company. To make watches to work on watches. This were a lot of the guys were sent. To the watchmaking company. I used to say to myself, that is not me. I was had a big dreams as a kid reads and maybe it was another good thing to do some big. But i always thought of my life but have a much greater meeting. Im not knocking people who worked at the watch company. They have a job. And i just wanted to do more. I wanted my life to really count and really stand for something even before i was paralyzed. I had been inspired by john f. Kennedy. I wanted to be by john f. Kennedy braden john wayne. Maybe it was unhealthy. Maybe it was maniacal but that was so i was afraid and was an american. Having grown up in american boy in this country, having dreams beyond all dreams. Believing you could be anything you wanted to be. No matter what happens to you. Even back then. I said i wanted to do something great with my life. Ron only interrupt for a second. There was a program started through the World War Two thats. She built a watchmaking school in queens. And when youre going to john f. Kennedy airport, you will go by some of those buildings there. Eventually, they added a basketball court. David i had no idea. Ron when you think about it. It was one of the sponsors, the steam. And there was another company team of the pan am jets. And they were mostly polio. Sonu i, as part of the story about that watch making company. As you mentioned. I was part of the rehabilitation was vocational. And the va administrators figured, its give these guys in a job in a wheelchair, they can do watchmaking there. Anyway connected. David any of the veterans, i admire the head of the watch company to do that. I love the name of the team by the way. That name is really catchy. I love that. I probably took the wrong turn. I was grumpy and i had an attitude. I dont know how my mom and dad ever could have with me. I used to go out to the barn i would come home drunk. Menacing the scene and the board of the fourth of july. Remember in the men. I would be terrible. I was a juvenile delinquent is 21 in a wheelchair. Sue and thats a