You would have to be crazy not to be afraid of the "what-ifs". People who go up against powerful entities such as Boeing and the US government with credible evidence of serious crimes have a history of ending up dead, tortured, falsely imprisoned, or in the best case, living the rest of their lives in hiding.
It doesn't have to be that bad before people think it's too much. People get blackballed and never can get a proper job in the profession they're proficient in. That's often enough. Who in their 40s or 50s wants to start anew?