This is shameful.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is reaffirming the medals of those who carried out the massacre at Wounded Knee. That wasn’t a battle — it was the murder of hundreds of Lakota people, mostly women and children. The government is now claiming that violence deserves honor.
I come from a military family. My father was a Marine, my mother served in the Navy, and I carry their spirit of service in my own life. Military members like my father honorably earn their medals by exhibiting incredible courage against foreign enemies during wartime. No one should receive a medal for murdering innocent women and children.
My father was a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran. My mother served in the Navy.
Standing at the gravesite with descendants of those victims brought home to me how the trauma of that day still lingers in the community. And time and again, our government has chosen cruelty over justice when it comes to Native people.
As Secretary of the Interior, I was honored to join with community members who live with the trauma of that tragedy and pay respect to those who were unjustly killed at Wounded Knee.
New Mexico — home to military service members and veterans — deserves a governor who will face the truth of our history and will fight to ensure every community across the state is respected and has the opportunity to thrive.
In solidarity,
Deb Haaland
