Pentagon Reviewing 20 Medal of Honor Awards Given to Soldiers at the Wounded Knee Massacre
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has directed a five-person panel to review the 20 Medals of Honor that the Army awarded to soldiers for their actions at the Battle of Wounded Knee in South Dakota on Dec. 29, 1890.
Further to this, I'm sick of people trying to apply morality to soldiers.
We can debate the morality of volunteering to serve a corrupt country but, once you join, you lose agency and responsibility. That's the point of soldiers.
If they want to go after the commander for allowing atrocities, fine. Or the general whose plan created the battle, or the politicians who created the situation, or the people who wanted the land. But the soldiers were risking their lives to do their jobs and should be recognized for doing so.
You have just summarized the distinction between jus ad bellum and jus in bello from Just War Theory, which I would hope every military officer in the world understands.
Sadly I have observed many people do not make the distinction.
Agreed