As terrible as it was, men (and one man) were in a position to think and act on their own, pure survival the motivating power.
I am not 'militarized' today, so I may be suckin' canal water ... but it seems we are now so well trained and (dare I say .. controlled ? ), that the heroism of this caliber can never happen again.
Damn, I'm proud to be an American.
It does happen. There have been numerous reports from Iraq and Afghanistan proving the core of the American soul is as strong as ever.
Unfortunately, our media and much of society do not hold these people up as the brave, selfless, heroes they are.
Unlike World War II, there are no great, major movies about our troops being made....most are either science fiction or anti-war.
I know many serving in the military today and I do believe heroism is/will happening/happen again when the need is there. For the most part those that join the military are of a different mindset to begin with, especially those that have enlisted since 9/11. They are highly trained, but definately not robots that won't think for themselves if the need is there.
“the heroism of this caliber can never happen again.”
Sure it can...and does. Read Michael Yon’s dispatches, especially the “Gates of Fire” dispatch.