You're a lucky man, Scott, to have been able to spend some time with the Lancaster pilot. These types of opportunities are becoming rarer by the hour...
My father and many of my relatives were WW2 vets. It has not been uncommon to be around them as I grew up. I got to know even more when I joined the VFW after my military stint. These guys were all so amazing that I often failed to notice.
I recall my 7th grade sociology teacher. He told of stories of his war time episodes and brought in souvenirs of his exploits. It was not until a few years ago I realized how amazing that was. His souvenirs were ones he got when his unit captured the Eagle's Nest. Yes he was in the 506th PIR that was the unit followed on the TV series the Band of Brothers. What a lost opportunity for me, but I was 11 and it was no big deal to hear war stories.
Even my dad told many and it was not until recently I realized what he had done. I have a souvenir of his that he got from a Japanese prisoner that he had made for my dad. My dad was overseeing that and a few other prisoners after they had retaken Corregidor in the PI. That battle was horrendous. Only 15 Japanese troops were taken. Dad was there and fought, in the end he was a little part of history.
I did not know him, but I knew many of the friends of Jimmy Micheals. Jim's best friend became one of my good friends, this was all VFW stuff. Who was Jimmy Micheals you may ask?
Jim is holding the carbine in the foreground
I have met many other heroes of WW2, they were all heroes. There are also dieing at over a 1000 a day and will all soon be goon. But at least I knew some of them.