PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota’s U.S. Senate race is highlighting a longstanding debate over Medals of Honor awarded following the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre.
Republican Senator Mike Rounds says he wants more information before deciding whether the medals should be rescinded. Rounds, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, supports obtaining an unredacted military review of the awards before taking a position.
Independent challenger Brian Bengs, a military veteran and former military instructor, says the medals should be revoked. Bengs argues the awards are undeserved and diminish the significance of the Medal of Honor.
The issue centers on roughly 20 Medals of Honor awarded to U.S. soldiers after the Wounded Knee Massacre, where hundreds of Lakota men, women, and children were killed by Army troops in December 1890.
Last year, the Department of Defense completed a review and announced the medals would not be rescinded, citing a lack of disqualifying evidence. However, descendants of massacre victims and other advocates continue to press for reconsideration.
South Dakota voters will weigh the Senate race on November 3.
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