Veterans of US atomic age deserve compensation

I still wonder why the Government “for the people and by the people of the United States” has waited 75 years to start handing out the medals to the Atomic Veterans? What should have happened shortly after the end of the cold war, the commemorative medal award process began just a year ago after an equally flawed DTRA effort was initiated to offer them a Atomic Veteran certificate. Those who are dead must now rise up from the grave or have a surviving relative request to apply for the medal using knowledge that the veteran was told never to disclose to anyone. This is an embarrassment to me because this is obviously not how a commemoration program is supposed to work. We are ashamed by our leadership, because they were ashamed to admit what sacrifices they previously asked our military service members to make.