Why should he have to go through the re-application process? Why didn't they say, "We don't have one now, but we will send one as soon as we can!" ??
He's 75 years old -- I don't know how his health is, but perhaps he wasn't sure how he'd be feeling 3 months from now.
In other articles I read about him, when he was originally injured, he was asked if he wanted a Purple Heart, and he said, "I don't have time for that -- I have to get back to the front lines."