Pete Hegseth says Wounded Knee veterans will be allowed to keep their medals
Wounded Knee medals won’t be revoked: ‘This decision is final’
- Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has ruled that US Army soldiers awarded the Medal of Honor for their involvement in the 1890 Battle of Wounded Knee will be allowed to retain their accolades.
- The battle resulted in the deaths or injuries of up to 375 Lakota men, women, and children.
- Nineteen US soldiers received the Medal of Honor for their actions, despite a 1990 congressional apology to Native Americans for the massacre.
- The medals had been subject to calls for revocation, notably through the ‘Remove the Stain Act’ led by high-profile Democrats.
- Hegseth said: “This decision is now final, and [the soldiers’] place in our nation’s history is no longer up for debate.”