never achieved anything to put on his ladder" doesn't sound very ambitious.
That is not an insult to the veteran who received that Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) medal in 1912.
That veteran in 1912 was at least in his 60's so age was against him earning "additions" to his medal by attending state and/or national reunions (encampments)or holding state or national office. The spirit may have been willing but the body wouldn't allow it.
GAR membership peaked in 1890 at 400,000 and from that point on death eroded eligible veterans at an ever increasing rate.