Pentagon to review Medals of Honor for Wounded Knee

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin officially ordered the Army to review the 20 Medal of Honor awards given to soldiers of the U.S. Army’s 7th Cavalry Regiment for their actions during the Wounded Knee massacre in 1890.

The review, announced July 24, calls for a special review panel to determine whether some of the awards were wrongly awarded and should be revoked. They are tasked with reviewing the individual actions of each soldier, “to ensure that no recipient has been recognized for conduct inconsistent with the nation’s highest military honor.” It’s a move by the Defense Department that comes after years of pushing by Native American groups and some lawmakers.

The massacre occurred at Wounded Knee Creek on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation on December 29, 1890. The 7th Cavalry had located and surrounded a group of Lakota people and was attempting to disarm the camp. How the battle began is unclear; multiple accounts state that a rifle was accidentally or accidentally discharged during the surrender, prompting Army soldiers to open fire on the Lakota. The exact number of casualties is disputed, but the Pentagon estimates that between 350 and 375 Lakota were killed or wounded by the army. Accounts written by witnesses and participants in the battle documented women, children, and even infants among the dead. Dozens of U.S. soldiers were also killed, but witnesses described it as partly from friendly fire.

Twenty soldiers received the Medal of Honor for their actions during the massacre. They were among the 31 recipients of the award for the entire campaign that year. The awards were presented over a period of 1891-1897. The specific citations for each individual award are often sparse, with Austin’s memo stating that they only mention a soldier’s bravery or fighting while wounded.

The Wounded Knee Massacre became a symbol of the violence and oppression perpetrated against Native Americans. In 1990, 100 years after the massacre, the U.S. Congress formally apologized. However, the medals were not revised. The Pentagon’s order this week follows a recent effort by lawmakers in Congress to have the Medals of Honor revised.

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Austin’s order calls on the panel to review the specific actions of each soldier and not the broader battle, though it notes that “(the) (special review panel) may consider the context of the overall engagement as appropriate, including as necessary to understand the individual actions of each (Wounded Knee Creek Medal of Honor) recipient.” Additionally, the panel is asked to determine whether the awards presented in the 1890s meet the standards for such awards at the time they were presented, rather than current standards.

According to Austin’s memo, the panel is to submit a written report to the secretary by Oct. 15. The order is to make a final recommendation on whether the soldiers should retain or revoke the nation’s highest military decoration, with a full argument for or against each decision.

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