(one for landing the aircraft with only two engines, which, of course, he didn’t do because he wasn’t the pilots)
Wow
The common culture of the military is that the Air Force hands out medals like candy, and the common culture in the Air Force is that air crews get medals like candy.
None of this is really true, but since medals count for promotion points in the enlisted Air Force, everyone is keen on getting such awards. In a way, you can call it a motivator that’s good for the service, because people will go above and beyond to earn them. Still, they must be earned.
Air crews, though.... Don’t get me started!