Why has one still never been awarded to John Ripley?
“Why has one still never been awarded to John Ripley?”
No definitive response but to the best of knowledge, John Ripley was serving as an advisor to a Vietnamese command and not directly under US command. Beyond that, politics may offer explanation.
In near time, a US Navy SEAL and a Vietnamese Sea Commando rescued a USAF airman who had been shot down. The initial action and rescue were under direct command of US forces. The SEAL and Sea Commando were respectively awarded the Medal of Honor and Navy Cross for their actions.
Thus, in each instance the criteria for awards made appear to have been directly influenced by command structure and not performance.