"The gratitude of every home in our Island, in our Empire, and indeed throughout the world, except in the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the World War by their prowess and by their devotion. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. All our hearts go out to the fighter pilots, whose brilliant actions we see with our own eyes day after day…"
Winston Churchill
20 Aug 1940
Even platitudes as strong as this will eventually fade away as those who were actual witnesses to such heroism slowly die off. The hard lessons learned will eventually disappear in time, as they have for thousands of years. I know times are different now, and these are "only" trainees, but you can't screw people over that harshly and expect the best recruits to keep coming back. It seems like the RAF, as well as our own Air Force, only knows how to treat these pipelines like an on/off switch. Someone please tell me what other organization in the world would use that method to put the best people in the right places...