Defense Secretary Orders Review of Medals of Honor Presented After Wounded Knee Killings

Last updated on August 7th, 2024 at 04:27 pm

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ordered the U.S. military to review the award of 20 Medals of Honor to U.S. soldiers for their actions during a deadly clash at the Wounded Knee Creek, in South Dakota on Dec. 29, 1890.

Often referred to as the “Wounded Knee Massacre,” the deadly incident played out as soldiers assigned to the U.S. Army’s 7th Cavalry attempted to disarm a group of Lakota natives. Exactly how the shooting began is unclear, but some popular accounts point to a misunderstanding when a soldier attempted to take a rifle from a deaf Lakota man known as Black Cayote, and the gun went off.

The incident devolved into an open exchange of fire, and it’s unclear if and to what extent the Lakota people present were still armed and able to return fire as the shooting began. By the time it was all over, as many as 250 Lakota men, women, and children were killed and around 100 more were injured.

In the ensuing years, 20 soldiers received Medals of Honor for their actions that day. Those individuals included 16 7th Cavalry soldiers, three 1st artillery soldiers, and a soldier with the 2nd artillery.

Some of the citations credit soldiers with carrying their wounded comrades out of harm’s way, continuing to fight and show leadership after sustaining injuries, and guarding a high ground to cover another section of troops withdrawing from the engagement.

Four of the Medal of Honor citations appear to reference soldiers fighting to dislodge a group of Lakota positioned in a ravine. Other citations are less descriptive, generally crediting soldiers with exhibiting bravery and gallant actions, with few additional details.

Native American groups, advocates, and lawmakers have all pressed over the years, to rescind or at least reexamine the Medal of Honor citations. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and other Congressional Democrats have introduced legislation to undo the awards. The 2022 National Defense Authorization Act eventually included a provision calling on the Department of Defense to review the awards and Austin cited this legislation in a July 19 memo, which the Defense Department published last week.

The standards for awarding Medals of Honor have changed over the years. Austin’s memo, instructs the review panel to determine if the Medal of Honor citations from the Wounded Knee were consistent with the award standards of the time when they were presented. Austin’s memo further instructs the panel to review witness accounts and historical documents to determine if any of the 20 Medal of Honor recipients engaged in disqualifying actions, to include “intentionally directing an attack against a non-combatant or an individual who has surrendered in good faith, murder or rape of a prisoner, or engaging in any other act demonstrating immorality.”

The review panel will pass along to Austin recommendations to either retain or disavow the awards.