But there is a solution! If you’re fixing your Silverado tailgate linkage, remember to push the bezel down before yanking it out. Push it down. Do not just yank it!:

OK, even if you do that, you might still break it. So basically, the takeaway here is that making tailgate handles out of cheap plastic parts is a terrible idea. And also, if you keep seeing first-gen Silverados missing tailgate handle bezels, you’re not going insane.