My Uncle...one of the gentlest men I ever knew. Not an ounce of Macho in him. Obviously, he didn't need it. A "been there-done that" thing.
Indeed..they were the greatest generation.
I read the link on the Ball Gunner who bailed out, was injured. After landing, he couldn't stand up. Passed out, woke up with Brit soldiers standing near him. Turns out he was lucky he couldn't walk because he'd landed in a mine field! Brits, knowing the path, carried him out. Also reading his account, I learned that not all crews got the Memphis Belle crew treatment of
PR at home. Nope...after his 35 missions, sent to the west coast for B-29 training to be used in the Pacific. Lucky for them, the Enola Gay did her thing, and the war was over.