I will...
think of 2, among many others.
One that I met and has now passed..Russell Yeulett from NZ was 19 and aboard a Lancsaster over Berlin when it was set on fire from flak. The captain ordered the crew to abandon the aircraft, while steering it away from the inferno below, it disintergrated and Rusell was the sole survivor, blown out of the tail gunner position. His Captain was awarded the VC, and the crew is listed on a column in the Bomber Hall of the RAF Museum.
On an earlier mission Russell's alertness saved the aircraft from a Ju88 night fighter, on which he eventually set fire to one engine after a hectic corkscrewing combat. The crew carried him shoulder high to the mess for a very thankful 'booze up'.
The other, I never met. Was the same age as Russell but from half a world away.
Lt Robert Love was with USAAC and never got to the war or fire a shot in anger. When piloting a P 39 in a flight to Port Moresby, to join the air battles in Papua, the flight of 6 ran into bad weather on the east coast of Cape York. Split up into pairs they turned back to find a safe place to put down, the only option, since Cooktown was out of range.
Just south of Orford Bay his leader, Lt Robert Yundt selected a beach and went in first and made a successful wheels up landing. He then watched as his wingman Love made an approach, but put his wheels down.
Whether he dropped a wing or the gear dug into soft sand, the resuting cartwheel wrecked the aircraft and fatally injured him.
In this wild and beautiful place, from a chance decision made in the air a young man died.
At another dig on this wreck last year...it has now had 69 years of SE trades blowing sand over it..its more than 6 ft under....I left a solar powered light on the dune by the cross and some wreckage.
So for young Robert there is a least a small light on the hill.
Lest we forget, indeed.