Too old to fly

An aging marine veteran who learned machine gunnery in colonial campaigns and bears many scars resists being relegated to a training post during the Great War. Decorated for past service and accustomed to front-line improvisation, he seeks transfer to newly formed aviation units rather than a commission that would keep him on the ground. Posted to a French airfield, he watches returning bombers with frustrated longing, repairs weapons, and presses repeatedly for flight duty, embodying tensions between seasoned skill and the youth-driven culture of military aviation and the stubborn desire to remain active in combat.