Why does Lt. Bill "Cougar" Cortell turn in his wings?

Cortell and his RIO flew out to ward off communist MiG-28s in 1986. The enemy planes threatened the carrier USS Enterprise. While in flight, Cortell's plane was caught in the missile lock of an enemy plane. As a result, Cortell was consumed by thoughts of his family..... he had a picture of his wife and son in front of him. After crash-landing the plane on the carrier's deck, Cortell turned in his wings and quit the Navy. He was so rattled by his experience that he felt he could no longer fly in combat, in addition to his fear that his son would be left an orphan.