US Department of Defense Reviewing Medals of Honor Awarded for Wounded Knee Massacre
The Wounded Knee Massacre is one of the darkest moments in American history, made even more so by the presentation of the Medal of Honor to many of the cavalrymen involved. There’ve been repeated calls for the decorations to be rescinded, and it now appears the US government is listening, as it’s been announced the Pentagon will be performing a review “to ensure no awardees were recognized for conduct inconsistent with the nation’s highest military honor.”
The upcoming review was announced by Secretary of Defense Lloyd T. Austin III on July 24, 2024. According to a statement put out by his office, the Department of Defense’s Office of the Undersecretary for Personnel and Readiness will organize a panel “to conduct an individualized assessment based on standards in effect during that period,” meaning back in 1890, when the Medals of Honor were handed out.
The deadliest mass shooting in American history, the Wounded Knee Massacre, part of the Pine Ridge Campaign, saw troops with the US Army face the Lakota peoples at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota. When an attempt to disarm the Lakota failed, it was decided that the cavalrymen, led by Col. James Forsyth, would surround the reservation and try a second attempt.
On December 29, 1890, the soldiers began disarming the Lakota. While accounts of the what occurred differ, what’s confirmed is that, at some point, the rifle owned by Black Coyote, who was deaf, discharged, leading the troops of the 7th Cavalry Regiment to begin shooting.
When the bullets stopped flying, over 250 Lakota, including women and children, were dead, while 51 were injured. Some later died. Of the cavalrymen, 25 lost their lives and another 39 were wounded. Of those injured, six later perished. Nineteen received the Medal of Honor, with 31 being given out for the entirety of the Pine Ridge Campaign.
As aforementioned, there have been repeated calls for the Medals of Honor to be rescinded, with many saying the Wounded Knee Massacre wasn’t an act of bravery, as it was portrayed back in 1890, but, instead, an act of depravity. In 1990, an official apology was issued by the US Congress.
Over 30 years later, in 2021, the Remove the Stain Act was introduced by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), as well as Congressperson Kaiali’i Kahele (D-HA), in an attempt to have the awardees stripped of their decorations.
The special panel for this review will be made up of at least five experts, including two from the Department of the Interior. Its members will review historical documents provided by the Secretary of the Army, with a written report that includes both their findings and recommendations delivered to Austin in mid-October 2024.
The Secretary of Defense will then provide his own recommendations to the US president.
Speaking in an interview, an unnamed senior defense official said, “It’s never too late to do what’s right. And that’s what is intended by the review that the secretary directed, which is to ensure that we go back and review each of these medals in a rigorous and individualized manner to understand the actions of the individual in the context of the overall engagement.”
Another official stated, “This is not a retrospective review. We’re applying the standards at the time. And that’s critical because we want to make sure that as these are reviewed and as a recommendation is made to the secretary and then to the president that we have applied the standards appropriately, while ensuring that we look at the context.”
Since its authorization in 1861, 911 Medals of Honor have been rescinded. Of that total, six were later reinstated by the US Army.