Nigel - the advice about not going back in comes from an Army pilot who crashed a Lynx into the water, escaped himself and then went back in for his mates. The aircraft sank and all were lost.
Q was very lucky not to get snagged on a sinking aircraft before he got the floats inflated and he did do well to get the others out.
RMK
In questioning the case as to why a discussion among a group of guys with a median age of 25 is more cordial/professional than a group with a median age more like 60, I see it comes down to insecurity.
perhaps it is more to do with levels of experience and knowledge gained from painful situations among the older ones. Perhaps also the older ones among us are less likely to be pink and fluffy about things and tell it like it is