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."
While commendable bravery and valor, he wasn’t on the front lines for 55 years. We are in the middle of a war right now, there are bound to be shortages of medals. A little understanding on his part would go a long way, he didn’t have to run to the media and blow this all out of proportion by trying to imply he would have to buy his own, he had an option. The fact that he went to the media makes me inclined to believe he had an agenda for doing so.
"Because I'm the one that's selling them!"