Before the end of the war in Vietnam was declared on April 30, 1975, Kovic became one of the best-known peace activists among the Vietnam veterans, and was arrested 12 times for political protesting.
He attended his first peace demonstration soon after the Kent State shootings in May 1970, and gave his first speech against the war at Levittown Memorial High School in Levittown, Long Island, New York that same spring.
Kovic's speech that day was interrupted by a bomb threat and the auditorium was cleared.

Undeterred, Kovic continued speaking to students from the school's football grandstands.
His first arrest was during an anti-Vietnam War demonstration at an Orange County, California draft board in the spring of 1971 when he refused to leave the office of the draft board explaining to a representative that, by sending young men to Vietnam, they were inadvertently "condemning them to their death," or to be wounded and maimed like himself in a war that he had come to believe was, "immoral and made no sense."
He was told that, if he did not leave the draft board immediately, he would be arrested.
Kovic refused to leave, and was taken away by police.

In 1974, Kovic led a group of disabled Vietnam War veterans in wheelchairs on a 17-day hunger strike inside the Los Angeles office of Senator Alan Cranston.
The veterans protested the "poor treatment in America's Veterans Hospitals" and demanded better treatment for returning veterans, a full investigation of all Veterans Administration (VA) facilities, and a face-to-face meeting with head of the VA, Donald E. Johnson.
The strike continued to escalate until Johnson finally agreed to fly out from Washington, D.C., and meet with the veterans.
The hunger strike ended soon after that.
Several months later Johnson resigned.
In late August 1974, Kovic traveled to Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he spent a week in the Catholic stronghold of "Turf Lodge," interviewing both political activists and residents.
In the spring of 1975 Kovic, author Richard Boyle, and photo journalist Loretta Smith traveled to cover the war in Cambodia for Pacific News Service.

Kovic was a speaker at the 1976 Democratic National Convention, seconding the nomination of draft resister Fritz Efaw for Vice President of the United States.
Time magazine described the scene as one of the few poignant moments of the convention and many in the audience were brought to tears.
On July 12, 1977, Kovic was arrested with 191 students and supporters during the anti-Gymnasium protests at Kent State University.
In 1979, Ron Kovic gave a speech at The Libertarian National Convention which nominated Ed Clark for President.
In 1988, Kovic was a Jesse Jackson delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 1983, he published Around the World in Eight Days, a short novel about a Vietnam War veteran who wagers that he can circle the globe in eight days without the benefit of aircraft.
Writing in American Book Review, Edmund Cardoni called the book "wildly imaginative" and noted that compared to Born on the Fourth of July, Around the World in Eight Days is "more patently literary in the tribute it pays to the transformative power of narrative art."

From 1990 to 1991, Kovic took part in several anti-war demonstrations against the first Gulf War, which occurred not long after the release of his biographical film in 1989.
In early May 1999, following the U.S. bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Kovic met with China's ambassador to the United States Li Zhaoxing at the Chinese embassy in Washington D.C. to express his condolences and present the ambassador and his staff with two dozen red roses.
He was an outspoken critic of the Iraq War.
Before the end of the war in Vietnam was declared on April 30, 1975, Kovic became one of the best-known peace activists among the Vietnam veterans, and was arrested 12 times for political protesting. He attended his first peace demonstration soon after the Kent State shootings in May 1970, and gave his first speech against the war at Levittown Memorial High School in Levittown, Long Island, New York that same spring. Kovic's speech that day was interrupted by a bomb threat and the auditorium was cleared.
Undeterred, Kovic continued speaking to students from the school's football grandstands. His first arrest was during an anti-Vietnam War demonstration at an Orange County, California draft board in the spring of 1971 when he refused to leave the office of the draft board explaining to a representative that, by sending young men to Vietnam, they were inadvertently "condemning them to their death," or to be wounded and maimed like himself in a war that he had come to believe was, "immoral and made no sense." He was told that, if he did not leave the draft board immediately, he would be arrested. Kovic refused to leave, and was taken away by police.
In 1974, Kovic led a group of disabled Vietnam War veterans in wheelchairs on a 17-day hunger strike inside the Los Angeles office of Senator Alan Cranston. The veterans protested the "poor treatment in America's Veterans Hospitals" and demanded better treatment for returning veterans, a full investigation of all Veterans Administration (VA) facilities, and a face-to-face meeting with head of the VA, Donald E. Johnson. The strike continued to escalate until Johnson finally agreed to fly out from Washington, D.C., and meet with the veterans. The hunger strike ended soon after that. Several months later Johnson resigned. In late August 1974, Kovic traveled to Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he spent a week in the Catholic stronghold of "Turf Lodge," interviewing both political activists and residents. In the spring of 1975 Kovic, author Richard Boyle, and photo journalist Loretta Smith traveled to cover the war in Cambodia for Pacific News Service.
Kovic was a speaker at the 1976 Democratic National Convention, seconding the nomination of draft resister Fritz Efaw for Vice President of the United States. Time magazine described the scene as one of the few poignant moments of the convention and many in the audience were brought to tears. On July 12, 1977, Kovic was arrested with 191 students and supporters during the anti-Gymnasium protests at Kent State University. In 1979, Ron Kovic gave a speech at The Libertarian National Convention which nominated Ed Clark for President. In 1988, Kovic was a Jesse Jackson delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1983, he published Around the World in Eight Days, a short novel about a Vietnam War veteran who wagers that he can circle the globe in eight days without the benefit of aircraft. Writing in American Book Review, Edmund Cardoni called the book "wildly imaginative" and noted that compared to Born on the Fourth of July, Around the World in Eight Days is "more patently literary in the tribute it pays to the transformative power of narrative art."
From 1990 to 1991, Kovic took part in several anti-war demonstrations against the first Gulf War, which occurred not long after the release of his biographical film in 1989. In early May 1999, following the U.S. bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Kovic met with China's ambassador to the United States Li Zhaoxing at the Chinese embassy in Washington D.C. to express his condolences and present the ambassador and his staff with two dozen red roses. He was an outspoken critic of the Iraq War.
Ron Kovic