Kamikaze.

Kamikaze, terrorist, patriot, soldier… all different? All the same?

The expression “young men who tragically sacrificed their lives in the believe that their actions might protect” [their country/nation/way of life] is the definition of every young man killed in war since the concept of us vs them began.

Heroes or villians, terrorists or freedom fighters… it all just depends on who’s telling the story. Those who sacrifice for your own country, or faith, or cause… well, heroes, surely. The other guys? They’re just evil. Or insane. Everyone knows that.

New Kamikaze Documentary & Kamikaze Pilots Vs. Terrorists » Japan Probe

The Japanese media has been covering the upcoming release of “Wings of Defeat,” a documentary by Americans Risa Morimoto and Linda Hoaglund that explores the history of Kamikaze pilots

Her research into creating this film truly changed the definition of the word “kamikaze” in her mind. The Japanese anchor in the above mentions how the use of the phrase “kamikaze attack” after 9/11 has made many Americans equate the kamikaze pilots as terrorists. Perhaps this documentary can convince those that watch it that the pilots were actually young men who tragically sacrificed their lives in the believe that their actions might protect Japan, rather than fanatical terrorists?

Image via Wings of Defeat homepage, here.