on a quite interesting tangent, this question reminded me of one of my favorite movie quotes. it's from Three Days of the Condor. a brief exchange between John Houseman and Cliff Robertson, who just died a few days ago btw.

[Wabash talks about his entry into the US intelligence field]
Wabash: I go even further back than that. Ten years after The Great War, as we used to call it. Before we knew enough to number them.
Higgins: You miss that kind of action, sir?
Wabash: No. I miss that kind of clarity.