This is a great find. Please post this as a separate thread.
"Fracus pointed out that, his long time Wade R. Sanders, who was a river boat guy, also, served as an Asst Sec of the Navy. One can only imagine what was done to records under his watch.
Check out the following article written by Wade Sanders titled "MEDALS NOT AWARDED". Apparently he is still in the business of getting medals awarded after-the-fact. He was offering free legal services to vets through a San Diego clinic as early as the 1980's (according to a 1988 article in the San Diego Union Tribune).
http://home.planetcomm.net/StableAble17/newsletters/april04_3.html
(snip)
This former enlisted man had stood by that officer in the same combat, exposed himself to the same risk, was part of the same team that prevailed, and his officer left him behind with nothing but a Purple Heart. To my mind this is a terrible injustice.
Since I belong to an association of those who served in Navy patrol boats in Vietnam, I decided to see if I could improve the situation. After all, the one mantra that was ingrained into me by my father, and by the traditions of my service, was that my number one responsibility as an officer is to take care of my men (or women, to be contemporarily correct).
So, I did a bit of research and discovered that there is no statute of limitations on awards. I found the office in the Pentagon that deals with awards, and I got the guidance I needed. The process is simple. An officer in charge of a unit is fully authorized to recommend any member of his "command" for a military decoration.
I am just leaving for the day and don't have time to post right now. I can post late tonight, or if you or Fracas has time to do it today, please do. I included only a snip from that stableable newsletter... maybe the whole text of the Sanders article can get posted?
http://home.planetcomm.net/StableAble17/newsletters/april04_2.html
"Stable Able" 1/7
Newsletter
April 2004
MEDALS NOT AWARDED