Two things come to mind:
1. He was ordered to as air craft commander. He was in the Military in a time of a major war.
2. It helped stop WW!! in the Pacific where the lose of American life would have been astronomical.
My Father was in WWII in the Pacific Army and not a scratch, but my Uncle a Marine in the Pacific had *13* Purple Hearts.
So much for ending Major wars.
Oh, we have Police actions since then!