Don't get me wrong (I know it's a pretty emotional topic - epecially for Americans), but the basic idea of kamikaze is not THAT dumb - it has a strong psycological effect on the opponents, and a higher precision than automatic guiding systems of the time. Don't forget the cultural difference - a single life didn't count that much... And every military - be it then or now - sees soldiers who give their lives for others as "heroes" (even if it doesn't really save anybodies life - as long as "the others" die, everything is ok...). You can call me a cynic, but in my eyes there are no heroes in a war - only victims - some alive, some not (and I really don't know which ones are the more fortunate)...