[tacticalogic]

Pilots are different. While there is the risk of being shot down. They aren’t necessarily in the thick of a fight.

Understood. But it's still combat duty, and they proven they can be well capable of doing it, I think.

[PJBankard]

Yes and No. Air-to-Air combat is non-existent in today’s theater. Dropping ordinance from a plane, with exception to Close Air Support, is about the same as firing a missile at a target from a ship. They are performing combat operations but aren’t directly in the heat of combat.