Our media today attempts to enforce on our minds symbols of the nadir of military performance while in WWII the media attempted to enforce on our minds symbols of the apex of military performance.
I saw Richard Roeper's review of the movie over the weekend (Ebert was out sick - I forget who was subbing). Roeper liked it because it showed how we were all deceived by the military/media in WWII or words to that effect.
Clint Eastwood has hemmed and hawed and said that the film can be taken "either way".
Sounds like a slimy answer and gives too much ammo to the agitprop anti-military, anti-American Left.
I'm sitting this one out until home video or a theatrical revival (say at a university or museum).