If somebody's record has not been properly updated to reflect those awards, then there are procedures involved for correcting that. In any case, service records are carefully examined each time a person is eligible for promotion, because the medals, ribbons and awards that they have received help to determine those who will make the cut and those who won't. I will note one other thing about the Admiral. He was a mustang. For the benefit of all you benighted civilians out there, that means he originally enlisted in the service, and then rose through the ranks to become the senior Naval Officer in the chain of command.
Mustangs traditionally tend to be people who take no shit from nobody.
Probably because when it was written back in the late 1800s nobody thought that Naval personnel would be prone to be used in that manner. One thing is sure. Inquiring minds are getting mad as hell about this bullshit. Forwarded messages sent on this mailing list are NOT verified.