Why do you think it took until 1996 and 2002 for Henry Johnson to be
decorated for his bravery?

Henry Johnson, decorated virtually head to toe in French military honors, returned to a country that considered him both hero and a second-class citizen. ... such reports of his bravery too

Explanation:

adopted the practice of proskynesis, a persian court custom that involved bowing down and kissing the hand of others, depending on their rank.