Re: the mindset of the time -- I was looking at WWI recruiting and war bond posters yesterday and contemplated the pressures that existed for every man, woman and child, especially the young men. I recently watched _All Quiet On The Western Front_, a work hatched close enough to the Great War to credibly voice these pressures. Every soldier must experience a push-pull effect, and each soldier deals with this differently, in mood and action. Gung-ho ambition and national pride acts as an accelerator and cautious self-preservation and reason act as a brake.
I think the "successful" soldiers of any war and any army ride the edge of maximum acceleration without going over the edge of the envelope. Their ride was swift enough to spark recognition, yet their careers were long enough to let that spark kindle. The survivors of the war (Fonck, Bishop, Udet) kept a realistic hand on their emotional brake, burning up the victory scoreboard without plunging into "Blaze Of Glory" demises (Luke, Voss, and almost Barker).
Like newspaper headlines, VCs seemed to be attracted to acts of valor to the nth degree, a neighborhood where the lines between heroism and foolhardiness become somewhat blurry. Over his well-tempered career, 45 victories and a phenomenal wingman survival rate did not earn Barker a VC. Only when a disgruntled, desperate Barker, flying solo against all reccomendations, tangles with dozens of EA and barely escapes with his hide does he get the VC nod.
In contemplating this thread, I've come to the conclusion that VCs, PLMs, CMHs and other highest-valor awards are not indications of exemplary soldiering. They are a recognition of exemplary sacrifice, for those who, for whatever reason, let go of their self-preservation brake in the service of their country. eg.
Frank Luke doesn't win a lot of check marks on the soldiering chart, but as to how much he would give for his country -- well, he couldn't give any more...
I remain,
RayK