Hegseth: Medals of Honor for Wounded Knee Will Remain

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Thursday that soldiers who received Medals of Honor for their actions at the 1890 confrontation at Wounded Knee will be allowed to keep the awards, declaring the decision final. Hegseth made the announcement in a video posted on X, saying the soldiers who fought in the Battle of Wounded Knee "will keep their medals" and that "their place in our nation's history is no longer up for debate."

The decision follows a review ordered in July 2024 by Hegseth's predecessor, Lloyd Austin, after Congress requested a review in 2022. A five person panel convened to evaluate each recipient's actions at Wounded Knee and, Hegseth said, concluded in October 2024 that the medals should not be rescinded. Hegseth criticized Austin for not issuing a final determination, saying "such careless inaction has allowed for their distinguished recognition to remain in limbo until now."

The 1890 incident on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is widely characterized as a massacre. Accounts differ on exact figures, with federal estimates cited by historians placing Lakota deaths and injuries as high as 350 to 375, while other historical accounts put the number...