My grandfather was a WWII B-29 pilot. For a very long time he didn't talk in much detail about the horrors. It was only in his later years before he passed did he talk openly about some of the real nasty aspects. One time I asked him what the most unpleasant thing he experienced was during his time in the military. His answer was the stench of burning humans. When they started low level firebombing, his initial spot was the center-rear wave. So when he flew in to drop his stuff... the smell was horrendous.

I suspect he shared that with us younger folks to illustrate that war is not glamorous, even if you win. Yes they won, but it was a disgustingly ugly affair for all parties involved.

I'm glad he shared that, because I have a very healthy aversion to unnecessary conflict, in part due to a few stories shared by him.