Why do most recent Medal of Honor recipients leave the military shortly after being awarded it?

Col Wesley Foxx stayed on active duty recieved MOH as a 1st Lt and stayed through Col

I think many find they have threat of Congress and Veterans groups. They can basically lobby and provide guidance in an advisory capacity, if the experience didn't leave them overly traumatized. Others just want to be left alone and try to live normal lives, placing the experience behind, but never forgetting their brothers and sisters in arms. Just my speculation from what I've seen over the years.

MAJ William Swenson came back to active duty after he got the MoH

Not to mention having to explain to officer they have to salute them not the other way around

It's bad for troop moral if they become POW/MIA/KIA status ...and become a propaganda tool for the enemy in afore said circumstance should occur.

2 primary reasons, most common is as stated, they were going to be (or were already) medically retired due to injuries sustained. The other is (as I understand it from a WW2 vet who knew a few) is that even if they were still fit for duty, Washington would not allow them back into combat and risk getting killed again. (Bad for publicity he explained to me) When in actuality, many of the ones he knew, wanted nothing more than to return to their units and help finish the fight.

Had the honor and privilege of meeting a few MOH recipients. Each was the epitome of humble. None considered themselves a hero but felt the guys who didn't make it back were the real heroes. One of them, Mr. Don Jenkins, when referred to at Ft Campbell as a hero stated "You want to see a hero?, go to Arlington or any of the vet cemeteries. Those are the heroes"

So am I the only one who thinks it's shitty to only be getting the 1200 a month? Or is this on top of whatever retirement they are getting?

I would get out if I had to Salute the enire base walking around. All normality it out the window at that point.

I know how the only CG winner of the MoH got his. Signalman 1st Class Douglas Munro was leading a group of LSTs at Guadalcanal. The Japanese had the high ground and had the Marines pinned down on the beach, so Munro led his group of LSTs in to pick them up. They did and Munro had positioned his LST between the Beach and departing LSTs providing fire and to cover the LSTs. When the the last one was out of range of the Japanese fire, Munro turned his LST to follow. It was then he was fatally hit. The ones that aren't Posthumous awards are probably pretty well dinged up to the point they are unable to serve any way and medically retired.