Not a poke in the eye, this statement just got me thinking.
When did we start looking at flying in the weather and pushing it hard in training as a bad thing? It's the military. We're supposed to be able to deliver anytime, anywhere, in any conditions. In my last 5 years before retiring last year, I saw anything that even approached that attitude as being reviled. In a different world (think Cold War...which we're in again...) this crew MIGHT (depending on what actually happened) have been commended for bringing the jet all the way back and mostly in tact despite what appears to have been an airborne fire. Instead, the default now is 'who's to blame' and 'why did we take so much risk'. The military culture used to embrace risk takers. Go look up documentaries of how the British SAS/SOE used to train their operatives. Death was normal and expected. Hell dudes in the USAF in the 50's used to routinely crash jets. Not abhorant, just expected and normal risk. Save your life, save the jet if you can. Get yelled at. Go do it again tomorrow. Do difficult and dangerous things specifically because doing those things makes you better.
Now...not so much.
Observation, not critique.