As much as this bug may seem 'game breaking' in all honesty it's comparatively a C- or D-list bug. These are the "it'd be nice to have it fixed but the game is still playable" and "this bug mostly just bugs me, but it can get a pass" lists.

The game was still perfectly playable and there may have been some higher list bugs to sort through. Not having actually played WAR though, I couldn't say. Just giving reasons why this may have gotten a pass for so long.