With his WW2 buddies dying off and needing a way to pay dues at the VFW, Cotton reluctantly agrees to allow the local Vietnam vets join up. But things go south in a hurry at a cookout.
Tropes:
- Boring, but Practical: Cotton Looks down on Hank because he never served in the military, much less became a war hero, although Hank says he made it to level of Eagle on the Boy Scouts, which Cotton dismisses as childish. When the Vietnam vets go on a flashback induced rampage, Hank uses his Boy Scout survival and navigations training to stay ahead of the Vietnam vets, which thoroughly impresses Cotton, who believed Hank would immediately be captured.
- Defeat Means Friendship: After the Vietnam vets successfully corner Cotton, he's so impressed he grants all of them VFW membership on the spot.
- Draft Dodging: Averted. When Hank goes with Cotton to visit the Arlen VFW, Cotton introduces him to his W.W.2 buddies as a draft dodger, when the other veterans give Hank a Death Glare and start accusing him of being unpatriotic, Hank clarifies that he didn't dodge the draft, he tried to join the Army when he was eighteen but was dismissed on medical grounds. When Cotton further clarifies that Hank was dismissed because of his narrow urethra and Hank states the specific reason was that he couldn't vacate himself at regulation speed and Cotton adds that it'd be even slower with other people watching him, he and the other W.W.2 vets. point and laugh at Hank.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Turns out all the Vietnam vets wanted was a kind word or two, since they were a part of a very controversial and (as seen in most people's eyes) unnecessary war and weren't welcomed back with open arms (which sadly is Truth in Television). Their hearing Cotton praising Hank snaps them out of their murderous rage.
- Hand Signals: When the Vietnam vets. finally catch up to Hank and Cotton, they hide behind some bushes and silently communicate using hand signals to coordinate an ambush.
- Pun-Based Title: The episode title references the Creedence Clearwater Revival song "Fortunate Son".
- Rule of Three: Dale's falcon attacks Bill three times throughout the episode. The third and final time is long after Dale set the falcon free in the wild, only for it to divebomb Bill out of nowhere.Dale (while Bill is being mutilated): Aww. He found his way home.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: While the Vietnam vets are shown to be this from the get go, it also eventually emerges that, for all their bravado, the WW2 are carrying some emotional baggage from their combat experiences as well.
- Special Guest: Ed Asner as Stinky and Jack Carter as Irwin Linker.
- War Is Glorious/War Is Hell: Both sides are on display. Cotton and his WW2 buddies fondly reminisce about gutting Nazis and killing, while the Vietnam vets are all highly scarred from their service.
- Worthy Opponent: After triggering them into a PTSD frenzy, the Vietnam vets actually successfully corner Cotton. He's quite impressed by their skill.
