Hegseth Announces Wounded Knee Medals Will Stand

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on social media that the 20 soldiers who received Medals of Honor for actions at Wounded Knee in 1890 will keep their awards. He said a review panel ordered by predecessor Lloyd Austin in 2024 concluded the medals were justified, though an official could not immediately confirm the report he cited. The decision stops efforts by some lawmakers and activists to rescind the awards and has provoked controversy and anger among Native American communities. Historical records show U.S. Army forces killed an estimated 250 Lakota, including many women and children, at Wounded Knee despite fighters having surrendered. Twenty soldiers from the 7th Cavalry were later decorated for actions described variously as rescuing fellow troops and “dislodging Sioux Indians,” and Congress apologized to descendants in 1990 without revoking the medals.