Panelist: Misplaced focus doomed Wounded Knee medal review

Unreleased report used as justification for preserving medals
A state tourism sign points travelers in the direction of the Wounded Knee Massacre. South Dakota Searchlight photo by McKenzie Huber
A state tourism sign points travelers in the direction of the Wounded Knee Massacre. South Dakota Searchlight photo by McKenzie Huber

( Editor’s Note: Searchlight’s Seth Tupper and Topic Editor/Publisher Jon Flatland contributed to this story.)

A man who served on the panel that reviewed medals awarded for the Wounded Knee Massacre said a majority of the members focused on individual soldier conduct at the expense of the broader issue: whether any medals should be awarded for a massacre.

Wizipan Little Elk Garriott, a member of th…