“...The guys quite often are leaning on each other or have their arms casually draped over one another’s shoulders....”
That’s because they had the living sh*t shot out of them, they’re exhausted, they’re beat, but they’re alive, and joyous at the fact.
My old man was WWII Airborne. He was 5 feet 7 inches worth of North Philly Badassery in a compact ass0kicking frame.
The whole “gentle platonic touch” thing was NOT part of his, nor his generation’s lexicon.
They had shared experiences of war; they truly were a Band of Brothers.
We’re not supposed to be “genteel” except when it comes to our wives and children.
What I got out of that article was something different, maybe, than you did. No offense.
But your father, and his confreres, did love one another, and express their love in a physical way, which was most likely platonic - didn’t they?
(just trying to stick with the subject of the original post...)