The Condemnation of Valor
The military is considering stripping Medal of Honor citations from soldiers who fought at the Battle of Wounded Knee.
We should never forget, as Walter Benjamin put it almost a century ago, that every revolution, if it is an authentic revolution—is not only directed towards the future, but it redeems also the past failed revolutions. All the ghosts as it were; the living dead of the past revolution which are roaming around, unsatisfied will finally find their home in the new freedom.
—Slavoj ŽižekThe Roman ruling class would, on occasion, engage in damnatio memoriae—the practice of condemning the memory of emperors after their deaths. Monuments would be defaced, names struck from inscriptions, coins bearing their countenance recalled or countermarked.
America has seen its fair share of sanctions against memory in recent years, with schools, streets, and libraries renamed and statues toppled.
Now, the latest batch of victims might be soldiers who were awarded Medal of Honor citations for their actions at the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890.
In a memorandum dated July 19, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III ordered a panel to convene and review 20 citations bestowed by the U.S. Army to troops who participated in that engagement. The panel must submit a report that includes a “retain or rescind” recommendation for each recipient by October 15. Their awards cite actions including gallantry, rescuing others in the heat of battle, and efforts to “dislodge Sioux Indians” who were dug into a ravine.
What happened in 1890 is a far more complex episode than has calcified into the mainstream narrative.
