It is an odd line, didn’t you see post 24? A friend was working on this, years ago.
In the early 2000s, US records from the Korean War were finally declassified and Williams' story became well-known in military circles.
So he's been free to tell his story for years. The records were probably declassified about 50 years after the Korean War ended.
The friend was working on his behalf to get his award upgraded to the Navy Cross for some time.