The Defense Department has announced plans to review the Medals of Honor awarded to 20 U.S. soldiers for their actions in the 1890 battle at Wounded Knee. This decision comes after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a review by a special panel of experts, in consultation with the White House and the Department of the Interior.
Congress recommended the review in the 2022 defense bill, responding to calls from lawmakers and Native American groups to reassess the awards given for the massacre on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation near Wounded Knee Creek. An estimated 250 Native Americans, including women and children, were killed in the tragic event, with at least another 100 wounded.
