At the end of the day, whether he has the real thing or not, he still has those ribbons on his uniform so he will still stand out as a hero to everybody who knows what the ribbons are for, should he wish to wear the uniform at a special occasion. Nothing will be able to take away those three letters after his name, and he will always be remembered by the personnel whose lives he saved in that mission by going back to get them.
Good luck to him!