Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III has ordered the Department of Defense to review the Medal of Honor awarded to 20 soldiers for their actions in the Wounded Knee Massacre that took place in 1890.
Austin wrote in a memo, “The [special review panel] may consider the context of the overall engagement as appropriate, including as necessary to understand each [Wounded Knee Creek Medal of Honor] recipient’s individual actions.”
In a separate statement, a senior defense official shared, “It’s never too late to do what’s right.”
The official added, “And that’s what is intended by the review that the secretary directed, which is to ensure that we go back and review each of these medals in a rigorous and individualized manner to understand the actions of the individual in the context of the overall engagement.”
NEWS: @SecDef Austin Orders Review of Wounded Knee Medalshttps://t.co/Cr9A7tIJ3s
— Department of Defense (@DeptofDefense) July 24, 2024
Per The Department of Defense:
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has directed the Defense Department to review the Medals of Honor awarded to approximately 20 soldiers for their actions during the December 1890 engagement at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota, to ensure no awardees were recognized for conduct inconsistent with the nation’s highest military honor.
DOD’s Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness will convene a special review panel to conduct an individualized assessment based on standards in effect during that period.
The scope of the panel’s review is limited to examining each Medal of Honor awardee’ s individual actions during the engagement at Wounded Knee Creek. However, “The [special review panel] may consider the context of the overall engagement as appropriate, including as necessary to understand each [Wounded Knee Creek Medal of Honor] recipient’s individual actions,” Austin wrote in a memorandum directing the review, which was released today.
Austin signed the memorandum last week following department consultation with the White House and Department of the Interior.
Wounded Knee Medal of Honor Awards to Be Reviewed https://t.co/dfyMXEoGRT
— (@1776Diva) July 25, 2024
On December 29, 1890, the 7th U.S. Calvary Regiment arrested members of the Lakota tribe for violating a government ban on a Native American spiritual ritual called “Ghost Dancing.”
Once arrested, soldiers held them at a camp near Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota.
As soldiers attempted to disarm members of the Lakota Tribe, a gun was accidentally discharged, and U.S. soldiers opened fire.
A battle quickly ensued, resulting in more than 250 Lakota tribe members being killed.
Twenty-five U.S. soldiers were also killed in the engagement.
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