Yeah,I would like to know why,too. I am positive it had nothing to do with him being black,though. These days that's an advantage.
It's probably as simple as someone in authority up the food chain lost the citation and can't afford to admit it. Once a citation goes up above the unit level,it is in the hands of clerks and bureaucrats who have mostly never been in combat themselves,know nothing about it,and maybe even slightly resent the fact that other soldiers can get them and they can't.
For example,there was a non-SF qualified clerk at the 5TH SFG personnel office in the late 60's that admitted after the VN war was over that he routinely threw away valor awards for guys in SOG and other SF operations based a long way from Nha Trang because he was jealous they were getting medals and he wasn't. He got away with it because people were getting shot up so often that there was almost never anyone around a couple of months later that remembered the action when it was reviewed that could answer or ask questions about it. I was put in for things I never got from the US Army because everybody in my hatchet force platoon was killed or severely wounded a week or so after I was medievaced,and 6 months or so later,I was out of the army. The people running the camp had bigger things to think about than award decorations for me. Or anyone else,AFATG.
AND,once you are out of the army,nobody cares if you got a doodah or not. Most people wouldn't even be impressed if you had a Medal of Honor because they think you get one for perfect attendance and not getting any cavities for 3 years. Means nothing to them,and if they have never been in ground combat themselves,there is no way you could explain it to them to make them understand. There really ARE some things you "had to be there" for.
I did get the VN equivalent of a Silver Star in the mail after I got out of the army,though. I didn't even know that until my father died 20 years later and I found the citation in his safety deposit box. I have no idea why he never told me about it,and at this late date it doesn't matter.
