After 46 years, I received my Vietnam Medals in the mail

When they arrived it surprised me.  I didn't know they were coming.

I'll have to explain why they came now, and why I didn't get them 46 years ago.

I was in the U. S. Navy.  Joined in January, 1965, and was discharged in October, 1968.  This was 3 months shy of 4 years.  When you come back from Vietnam with less than 6 months to serve, you are given an 'Early Out'.  As I said, I was in the Navy.  However, when I got orders for Vietnam I was to be with a Joint Service Group called Defense Communications Agency, Southeast Asia Mainland,  (DCA-SAM).  So, the year I spent in Vietnam I was not attached to the Navy; therefore, my records were not kept up to date.  When I returned from Vietnam, I was immediately sent to Millington, Tennessee, the nearest Navy Base to Louisville, for Discharge Processing.  Navy records not up to date or not, I would be discharged.  Many of my earned medals were not listed, so on my official discharge paper, DD214, these medals did not appear.  And, if they're not listed on that DD214, as far as the Veterans Administration is concerned, they don't exist.
Now, it didn't really bother me until I went to the Veterans Hospital about 2 years ago to get a Veterans ID.  When I received it, I was listed as a 'Priority 6' instead of a Purple Heart Veteran Priority 2.  Even though I showed them the proof I had, it didn't matter if it wasn't listed on my D214.  Well, there began the process of getting an amendment to my DD214, called a DD215.  I sent off the request 2 years ago, gave up on it, and forgot about it.  Well, about 10 days ago I got in the mail, out of the blue, a correction to my DD214 from Naval Records in St. Louis.  The wonderful DD215.  On this, they had a list of my medals and ribbons I had earned, some of which I didn't even know about.  Then, today, by UPS, I received a package with 3 medals and 1 ribbon plus 4 star bars.  I had no idea they were coming.
But, this is why I am just now getting these medals.  All because of records not being kept up to date and me being too young and in too big a hurry to get home to my bride I'd had to leave after being married for only 6 months, to make sure the records were right before I left the Navy.