American soldiers from the 1890s who participated in the Battle of Wounded Knee will keep their Medals of Honor that were awarded long ago.
There is controversy over that battle, as some assert it should more accurately be called the Wounded Knee Massacre of Native people on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
Since 2021, there have been federal bills called the Remove the Stain Act introduced in the U.S, Senate to rescind the medals of honor.Those have not passed, and the most recent bill was introduced in May 2025.
However, last week on Twitter, Secretary of State Pete Hegseth said the federal bill amounts to current day political correctness.
“Under my direction, we’re making it clear without hesitation, that the soldiers that fought in the Battle of Wounded Knee will keep their medals, and we’re making it clear they deserve those medals," Hegseth said.
"This decision is now final, and their place in our nation’s history is no longer up for debate. We salute their memory.”
The US military entered the reservation and killed 250 to 300 Lakota people, mostly civilians.
Even in the 1890’s, the awarding of 19 Medals of Honor was not universally celebrated. Major General Nelson Miles described the massacre as “the most abominable military blunder and a horrible massacre of women and children.”
*One of the five Republicans running for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District has dropped out of the race.
Kyle Larson is a property appraiser from Humboldt.
He says trying to win an election takes more money and time away from family than he can spare. Larson plans to help advise congressional candidate Chris McGowan with agricultural issues instead.
The other three Republicans in the race are state Representative Matt Windschitl of Missouri Valley, Iowa Tea Party founder Ryan Rhodes of Ames, and Christian Schlaefer (SHLAY-fer), a farmer and software consultant from Lakota.
Current Iowa 4th District Congressman Randy Feenstra is expected to run for governor, but has not officially announced that.
