In a decisive move that underscores a commitment to preserving America’s history, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the 20 soldiers awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions at Wounded Knee in 1890 will retain their medals.

His announcement, delivered through a video on social media Thursday evening, put to rest years of debate fueled by activists and lawmakers who sought to strip the medals away.

The decision comes after a review initiated by Hegseth’s predecessor, Lloyd Austin, in 2024. That review was mandated by a Congressional recommendation from the 2022 defense bill, which reflected growing pressure from some legislators to rescind the awards.

However, Hegseth made it clear that the medals are secure and that the soldiers’ sacrifices will not be erased from the nation’s history.

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“We’re making it clear that (the soldiers) deserve those medals,” Hegseth declared in his announcement. He went further by saying, “their place in our nation’s history is no longer up for debate.”

This statement signaled not just a conclusion to the review but also a broader defense of historical recognition against what he and others see as attempts to rewrite America’s past.

The events at Wounded Knee have long been a matter of historical contention. Though sometimes described as a battle, most records describe the day as a tragic massacre in which U.S. Army troops killed an estimated 250 Lakota Sioux, including women and children, while attempting to disarm fighters who had already surrendered.

Despite the bloody outcome, 20 soldiers from the 7th Cavalry Regiment were awarded Medals of Honor. Their citations referenced bravery, efforts to save fellow troops, and actions to “dislodge Sioux Indians” concealed in a ravine.

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For decades, critics have argued that these awards dishonored the very essence of the Medal of Honor because of the nature of the fighting at Wounded Knee.

Yet the regiment itself enshrined the event in its history, and to this day, its coat of arms still carries the head of a Native American chief to commemorate its campaigns.

The controversy surrounding these medals reached a new level in 1990 when Congress formally apologized to descendants of those killed.

Still, the medals were not revoked, in part because of the complexity of separating the individual valor of soldiers from the broader tragedy of the event.

Hegseth’s decision continues that tradition of remembrance without erasure, respecting both the lives lost and the service of soldiers who acted under the standards of their time.

According to Hegseth, the review panel convened under Austin ultimately “concluded that these brave soldiers should, in fact, rightfully keep their medals from actions.”

Though it remains unclear whether the panel’s report will be made public, Hegseth’s announcement made clear that he intends to uphold their recommendation.

This decision also fits into a larger pattern of Hegseth’s actions at the Department of War, which align with President Trump’s executive order earlier this year titled Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.

That order criticized efforts to reinterpret the nation’s past and encouraged leaders to preserve historical memory in its entirety.

Because of that order, Hegseth has reversed several steps taken in recent years to downplay or erase historical symbols tied to controversial chapters of America’s past.

For example, he restored the original names of several Army bases that had been altered due to Confederate associations, though he did so by honoring alternative figures linked to those names. He also ensured that a 1914 Confederate memorial, previously removed from Arlington National Cemetery, was returned.

The statue, featuring a classical female figure crowned with olive leaves to represent the South, also includes symbolic depictions of slavery in a softened light.

Similarly, at West Point, a portrait of Gen. Robert E. Lee that had been in place since the 1950s has been put back on display.

The painting, removed in 2022, shows Lee in uniform with a Black man leading his horse in the background. Its return underscores the commitment to remembering history as it was, without censoring uncomfortable elements.

Hegseth’s decision to allow the soldiers to keep their Medals of Honor is more than a ruling on a historical controversy. It reflects a broader philosophy that America must face its past honestly, acknowledging both glory and tragedy, rather than selectively rewriting or erasing it to fit modern sensibilities.

The secretary emphasized that honoring the soldiers does not mean ignoring the loss of Native American lives at Wounded Knee.

Instead, it means ensuring that the valor recognized at the time remains acknowledged within the larger, often painful, story of America’s growth. Because history cannot be undone, it must be remembered in full.

In this light, the move sends a powerful message that national unity and identity depend on preserving historical truth. The medals, awarded over 130 years ago, represent not just the men who fought at Wounded Knee but also the principle that America will not abandon its history, even when it is complicated.

By affirming the Medals of Honor for the Wounded Knee soldiers, Pete Hegseth has drawn a line in the sand against those who seek to redefine the past.

His decision upholds not only the service of those long-departed soldiers but also the integrity of American history. As he said himself, their place is “no longer up for debate.”

In a time when national memory is contested, this action shows strong leadership and a determination to protect America’s story—honoring the sacrifices of those who served while refusing to let history be erased.

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