You can throw the physical medals (ribbons) away, but a record of them being awarded is on one's DD-214 (a copy of which is in the DOD records).
That doesn't get "thrown away".
A person can buy the medals "anywhere".
So Kerry was too cheap to buy them, and needed new Citations to get them without "buying" them.
Seriously, why would Kerry ask Lehman to draft citations years later, when he already had citations on file, plus the DD-214? Kerry's campaign makes no effort to hide the two citations for each, the Bronze Sar and Silver Star.
I don't think it's a big deal, in any event, but am curious about it.
"Throwing the medals away", is a symbolic gesture.