My Dad was a bombardier on a B-24 in the Pacific Theater In WWII and went on many missions. One time a Jap Zero clipped the top of his plane in flight trying to take out the plane. In addition, his base in New Guinea was bombed several times. He never ever talked about the war until just before he died in 1988. He would not fly and you couldn't get him near an airport.
My Dad also served in the Pacific.