Mark - however, to all the men who fought hard & saw plenty of comrades killed in fierce battles like Iwo-Jima, it may not have been as clear as you put it. If the Japanese soldiers fought that hard for some distant rock, how hard would they have fought on their own soil? I don't disagree that both sides can be argued, but I think your comment doesn't really reflect view the decision makers saw at the time. The Japanese fought VERY hard.

-Zeke