They did not want to yield. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and when the moment harshly struck them their fatal blow, they cried for their mother, or their friend. Then there were those, many of those, who knew exactly what they were giving. They moved forward knowingly. They lost their lives so their mission would be accomplished.
Some intellects can say that.
One would have to be an imbecile to give up life, no matter what the cause. Veterans' Cemeteries, white badges sailing row after row after row upon green grass, almost never ending, creeping onto the horizon. Constant reminders of the devastation of our human treasure. Mothers' tears, enough to fill an ocean to overflow. Sweethearts, broken hearted, reading telegrams.