[Chainmail]

The stunning heroism of the Iwo Jima veterans is unparalleled. They faced a relentlessly effective death trap and kept going no matter what it took. 6,000 dead and 25,000 horribly injured and yet they kept going. Where do we find men such as these? Will we ever see the like of them again?

I have found myself believing that this battle and others like it deprived our gene pool of the quality of selfless courage, leaving us with only the successors of the 4Fs who stayed home.

Could explain a lot, like the Vietnam antiwar movement and dweebs like Obama.

[MuttTheHoople]

No, there were as many courageous men who fought in Korea, Vietnam (my dad fought for two tours), and even today (my son’s best friend is now a Marine). They’re still there....it’s the leadership that’s become wussified.

[The_Media_never_lie]

The sacrifice these men made and the hardships they endured by the fanatical Japanese defenders was a deciding factor in the use of the atomic bomb.

[Charles Martel]

I have found myself believing that this battle and others like it deprived our gene pool of the quality of selfless courage, leaving us with only the successors of the 4Fs who stayed home.

The vast majority of 4Fs had no desire to avoid the fight. Our gene pool might have tipped a bit towards poor eyesight or flat feet as a result of the military induction process back then, but I don't see how qualities such as courage and selflessness would have been diminished.

Those qualities are instilled in us (or not) by our parents and through our relationship with God.

[Gay State Conservative]

I have found myself believing that this battle and others like it deprived our gene pool of the quality of selfless courage, leaving us with only the successors of the 4Fs who stayed home.

My Dad was an "essential civilian employee"...essential because he worked for a company that designed and built missiles for the Navy.Guys trained to fire the missiles are useless without missiles to fire.My Dad's older brother lost an eye in a playground accident when he was a kid.He very much wanted to fight and tried to enlist.His efforts failed miserably.

[oh8eleven]

The stunning heroism of the Iwo Jima veterans is unparalleled.
C'mon, to make a broad brush statement like that denies the valor of soooo many others, like ...

Belleau Wood, Tarawa, Saipan, Okinawa, Chosin Reservoir, Con Thien, Khe Sahn, Battle of the Bulge, Hurtgen Forest, Normandy, et al.