Take a moment and imagine over 58,000 dead, mutilated, and bloodied American soldiers covering the devastated ground of the Vietnam War. It is a terrible sight that reeks of decaying bodies and the twisted faces of lifeless youths staring up at the sky in horror. However, that doesn't have to be the case, and Creedence Clearwater Revival knew this. They wrote many songs, but one was openly against the war in Vietnam, entitled Fortunate Son. It touches on topics such as how the privileged were not conscripted, the divide between the rich and the working class, and how the government will use war support as black mail against its own citizens. However, how did the United States end up in Vietnam in the first place? It all started with the French fighting a war against all of Indochina and the United States providing aid to the French in the late 1940s. Even with America's help, Ho Chi Minh defeated the French in 1954, but America decided to officially get involved in trying to defeat the communists of North Vietnam. Eisenhower, addressed the United States with what he called the “domino effect,” essentially stating that if we allowed communism it would spread throughout the world. Time passed and in 1964 it was reported that the North Vietnamese in international waters attacked the USS Maddox. However, this was not true. It was true that the USS Maddox had been attacked, but the second attack in international waters, used as a catalyst to ignite the war guns, was a lie. Despite this, Secretary of Defense McNamara pushed the United States into all-out war against the communists of North Vietnam. By 1968 we had more than 500,000 soldiers enlisted and fighting in Vietnam. The year 1968 was also the year of the Tet Offensive, when the Americans tro...... middle of paper ...... to you", and if you are not for the war you are against America All in all Fortunate Son is a classic anti-war song that is both meaningful and catchy. Creedence is able to convey many points in just 2 minutes, leaving the listener overwhelmed by the symbolism, combined with beautiful lyrics, makes this song a song that will go down in history and be heard by many generations to come. Even after 33 years of the song's release, Creedence Clearwater Revival's hit, Fortunate Son, still has relevance in today's society cite Kelly, M. (n.d.). Top essentials to know about the Vietnam War. Retrieved from http://americanhistory.about.com/od/vietnam/tp/vietnam-war.htmPaterson, P. (2008, February) . The Truth About Tonkin. Retrieved from http://www.usni.org/magazines/navalhistory/2008-02/truth-about-tonkin.