I believe you have nailed it
In a recent e-conversation with SGM Jakovenko about Echanis -
We discussed the "Q" course question among other things -
He offered, knowing Mike as well as he did, that Echanis wouldn't care one way or the other "S" or tab wise where he was concerned. Those things didn't matter to him as much as they do to others.
Jake also offered Mike never, to his recollection, talked about his wounding or his awards after the fact. He didn't even know that Mike had attended the "Q" course. Mike never said anything.
From what I've learned from Jake, Juan Montes (who knew MDE at Bragg and was instrumental in seeing him hired by Somoza while Montes was Army attache at the US embassy in Managua), Chief Nissley, Master Randy Wanner and others this was pretty much Echanis' style.
His dad and uncles had all fought in WW2...his cousin, Joe Echanis, was shot down over Laos in November of 1969...and he'd met / worked with guys like the above named who he truly respected and saw as far more than he was.
To include his closest friend and fellow Soldier / Warrior, Chuck "Sandy" Sanders. Chuck was instrumental in Mike's successful recovery from his wounds - and was himself a fully qualified "Green Beret" who had been awarded the Soldier's Medal in '77 while on Jakovenko's SCUBA team. I have the citation narrative for that event - he saved the life of one of his teammates during a hign angle climbing accident.
Master Chief Bob Nissley (Ret.), who likewise knew Mike very well and oversaw his, Chuck's and Bobby's return to the States and funerals (to include, at the request of the Echanis Family, viewing the remains once all three arrived safely in Ontario ... this to ensure positive ID) said of Mike -
"He was a Free Spirit. He just wanted to be exactly who he was and do what he wanted to in life. That's why so many were drawn to him."