Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week that the merits of the Medals of Honor issued to the Seventh Cavalry butchers at the Wounded Knee Massacre are “no longer up for debate.”
Sicangu Lakota tribal member and former legislator Troy Heinert doesn’t agree:
While disappointing, Heinert doubts Hegseth’s decision will be the final word on the 135-year-old matter.
“If we have a chance to educate more people about the history of what happened to the native people in this country, I think we have to use it,” said Heinert. “And maybe someday we will get there, and those medals will be rescinded, and that healing can begin from that event” [Tom Hanson, “Wounded Knee Decision Delays Healing in South Dakota,” KELO-TV, 2025.09.29].
Keep speaking up, Senator Heinert!