Bill > HR3609

This bill aims to rescind the 20 Medals of Honor awarded to U.S. 7th Cavalry soldiers following the Wounded Knee Massacre on December 29, 1890, where approximately 350-375 Native Americans, mostly unarmed women and children, were killed. The bill provides extensive historical context, highlighting that the engagement occurred between heavily armed soldiers with cannons and an unarmed tribal community led by Lakota Chief Spotted Elk. The proposed legislation would remove the names of these Medal of Honor recipients from official military rolls, acknowledging the historical injustice of awarding the nation's highest military decoration for what contemporary military leaders like General Nelson A. Miles described as a "brutal, cold-blooded massacre." Importantly, the bill does not require recipients or their descendants to return the medals and explicitly states that it will not deny any federal benefits. The bill is supported by resolutions from Native American organizations, including the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and the National Congress of American Indians, who have long sought to have these medals revoked as a way of recognizing the tragic and unjust nature of the original incident.

Military Affairs and Security

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3609/all-info