RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – The 19 soldiers who were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890 will get to keep those medals. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made that announcement of social media Thursday night. An estimated 250 Native Americans, including women and children, were killed in the massacre on the Pine Ridge Reservation. That decision comes after a review of the awards last year Hegseth’s predecessor, Lloyd Austin.
Hegseth said, “Under my direction, we’re making it clear without hesitation that the soldiers who fought in the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890 will keep their medals. And we’re making it clear that they deserve those medals. This decision is now final and their place in our nation’s history is no longer up for debate. We salute their memory, we honor their service and we will never forget what they did.”
In a statement issued Friday afternoon, Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out said, in part, “Secretary Hegseth’s refusal is despicable, untruthful, and insulting to the Great Sioux Nation. More than 300 unarmed Lakota men, women, and children were massacred at Wounded Knee–it was NOT a battle, it was REVENGE for America’s only loss on what they consider their home soil.”
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