http://www.archives.gov/veterans/replace-medals.html
I am in the process of building my own shadow-box to house all my medals, ribbons and awards. I received a complete full set for FREE. Some Vets do not like the idea of doing this themselves and feel it is a form of bragging. Maybe, but, I would not want to leave this to someone else to do for me after I am gone. It may not be accurate and could be a source of heartbreak and pain for someone else to try and find all the credit you were due. Once the service member passes on, it becomes more and more difficult for someone else to try to assemble and put together correctly. And they may have to pay for some or all of the awards.
My own father never told me all he did in the Navy and I have still not gotten the full story. I inherited a couple of medals from WWII and don't know if they were his, or his fathers (My grandfather). If you want your legacy to be remembered by your family, children, grandchildren and so on, do them a favor and do it right. There is only one "award" I will never see ... my burial flag. It will be housed in the empty triangular box on top of the shadow box I am building now. Someone only needs to place the flag in it.
Done and done right.
