I researched the letters and found that if you need replacement metals from the Navy, you had to fill out a form 180 and the SECNAV would have to sign it to replace to metals you threw, I mean the metals you lost. Kerry was gearing up for the 1884 Senate race and needed all his ducks in a row.
Thanks for the info. You confirmed what I thought about SECNAV having to sign the approval. I bet Kerry filled out a form 180. The timing for his first run at the Senate in 1984 fits in terms of Lehman approving replacement medals. There is obviously a paper trail that documents all of this. Unfortunately, they are in Kerry's military records, which he refuses to release.