Pentagon panel to review Medals of Honor given to soldiers at the Wounded Knee massacre
WASHINGTON — The Department of Defense will review the Medals of Honor awarded to 20 American soldiers for their actions during the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890, to determine whether their conduct merits such an honorable distinction.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered an investigation by a special panel of experts after consulting with the White House and the Interior Department. Congress recommended such an investigation in the 2022 defense bill, reflecting pressure from some lawmakers to rescind bounties paid to those who took part in the massacre on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota near Wounded Knee Creek.
An estimated 250 Indians, including women and children, were killed in the battle and at least 100 others were wounded.
Decorations were awarded to 20 soldiers of the 7th Cavalry Regiment. The awards were given for a range of actions, including bravery, efforts to rescue fellow soldiers and actions to ‘drive out Sioux Indians’ who were hiding in a ravine.
Native American groups, advocates, South Dakota state legislators and some members of Congress have called for officials to revoke the awards. Congress apologized to the families of Wounded Knee victims in 1990 but did not revoke the medals.
In a memo signed last week, Austin said the panel would review each award “to ensure that no soldier was recognized for conduct that did not merit recognition” and whether their conduct included disqualifying actions. Those could include the rape or murder of a prisoner or the assault of a noncombatant or someone who had surrendered.
Austin said Army Secretary Christine Wormuth must provide the historical records and documentation for each soldier’s awards to the panel by Friday. The panel must provide a written report by Oct. 15 recommending that each award be revoked or retained.
The standards for awarding the Medal of Honor have evolved over time, but the review will evaluate the actions of the 20 soldiers based on the rules in effect at the time. Austin said the panel of five experts may consider the context of the overall incident in judging each soldier’s actions.
The dispute continues a long history of contentious relations between South Dakota’s tribes and the government dating back to the 1800s. The Wounded Knee Massacre was the deadliest, when federal troops shot and killed Lakota men, women and children during a campaign to stop a religious practice known as the Ghost Dance.