Please remember that this was a generation that was not raised to expect to be given handouts from the gubmint. Maybe he was too proud of his service and never applied for his stipend? Maybe he didn’t know he was entitled to the stipend, even if his fellow Medalists tried to tell him he could get it, maybe he felt he didn’t want to “take some from the government”. Maybe he just wanted to go home after the war and return to his life and felt that even though he was awarded the CMoH that he was just doing his duty.
My late Dad fought most of his post military life (1939-1962 USA Retired) 1962-1990 for the rights of all veterans including testifying to congress in the 70’s. He even fought his own brothers who would complain about the problems they had from some service connected issue because they didn’t want welfare or any other handout.
My point, and his is they are not handouts but obligations to our Veterans and he was serious about enforcing the contracts he signed and what Uncle Sam claimed they would do for him in those contracts (not handouts).
The red tape and hoops the VA makes you jump through are not easy for some to get through and yet others figure that it is just part of their duty to go home and not say anything.
One last note was there was a huge fire in St. Louis that destroyed hundreds of thousands of veterans records in the late 40’s or early 50’s and his was one of them...
You know I did not even think of that. That generation is pretty “proud” and would most likely not request this. My grandparents were in this group and they never asked for anything (even though they didn’t have anything...:) But thank you for that post because it really made me think.