Historic Redress: 'Remove the Stain Act' Rescinds 20 Medals of Honor from Wounded Knee Massacre

This bill, simply titled the 'Remove the Stain Act,' focuses on correcting a specific, painful chapter in U.S. history by officially canceling 20 Medals of Honor awarded to soldiers following the Wounded Knee Massacre on December 29, 1890.

The bill is straightforward: it rescinds every single Medal of Honor given for actions at Wounded Knee Creek that day (SEC. 3). It requires the Secretary of the relevant military branch to take those names off the official Medal of Honor Roll. The core purpose, according to the findings (SEC. 2), is to restore the integrity of the nation's highest military award, which Congress believes was dishonored by being given for what Major General Nelson A. Miles himself called a “brutal, cold-blooded massacre.”

The Historical Reckoning

For most people, a bill about a 130-year-old military honor might seem distant, but this is about historical accountability and respect. The bill specifically cites the tragic events where the U.S. 7th Cavalry used heavy weaponry, including Hotchkiss cannons, against mostly unarmed Lakota men, women, and children. The findings section notes that Native American tribes, including the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, have formally requested this specific action for decades. Essentially, this legislation is a direct response to those calls for historical justice, recognizing that those 20 awards fundamentally contradict the spirit of exceptional bravery the Medal of Honor is supposed to represent.

What Happens to the Honors?

This is where the policy meets the practical reality of dealing with historical figures and their descendants. The bill makes two key stipulations (SEC. 3): First, while the honor is officially rescinded and the names removed from the roll, the physical medals themselves do not have to be returned to the government. Second, the rescission cannot be used as a reason to deny anyone—likely the descendants or estates of the recipients—any other federal benefit they might be entitled to.

In real terms, this means the government is making a clear, symbolic statement by removing the official recognition, but it’s not penalizing the descendants financially or demanding the physical artifacts back. For the families of the 20 soldiers involved, this means a significant symbolic loss of a high honor, even if they retain the physical object and any associated benefits.

Why This Matters for the Medal of Honor

If you care about the meaning of military honors, this bill is a big deal. The Medal of Honor is the pinnacle of military recognition, reserved for actions "above and beyond the call of duty." By explicitly removing awards tied to a massacre (SEC. 2), the bill attempts to reinforce the award’s moral standing. It’s a narrowly tailored action, focused only on those 20 specific awards from that single day and location. This clarity and narrow focus is important because it prevents the bill from becoming a broad precedent for reviewing every historical award based on evolving social standards, keeping the focus strictly on the unique and widely condemned circumstances of Wounded Knee.