Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was publicly reprimanded by an Army sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier after his group made noise following a Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony.
Hegseth, his wife Jen, and senior aides including chief of staff Ricky Buria attended the Arlington National Cemetery service alongside President Donald Trump, NBC News reported. Following the event, the defense secretary and his team posed for photographs near the memorial site.
A group with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was reprimanded by a U. S. Army sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day after someone in the group appeared to laugh following a photo. “All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of… pic.twitter.com/40qRCTy2Df”
As the group began walking away, a member of the party audibly laughed, according to CBS News. The outburst prompted a U.S. Army sentinel standing guard to shout a sharp warning across the plaza, memorializing unidentified service members killed in battle.
“All visitors will maintain atmospheric silence and respect at all times,” the sentinel shouted, as reported by NBC News. Hegseth made no acknowledgment of the reprimand, looking over his shoulder and continuing up a set of stairs.
It remains unclear who among the group laughed, or whether Hegseth himself made any noise during the incident, CBS News noted.
“The Secretary and the entire Department have always honored—and will always honor—the sacrifices our military men and women have made to keep America safe,” said Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell, according to CBS News. “While commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum.”
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded 24 hours a day by elite sentinels from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment. Reprimanding visitors who disrupt the expected solemnity at the memorial occurs multiple times per day, according to a 2022 Army interview with Staff Sgt. Chadwick Winget.
A US Army sentinel guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier reprimanded Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and a group of his senior advisers after some in the group laughed and talked near the solemn memorial following a Veterans Day ceremony. https://t.co/1mIM7uG0G8 pic.twitter.com/0QVFKNrKbB
The US Army sentinel guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier admonished Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and a group of his senior advisers Wednesday after some in the group laughed and talked near the solemn memorial following a Veterans Day ceremony. “All visitors will…”
🚨 HEGSETH’S ENTOURAGE REPRIMANDED BY ARLINGTON GUARD AFTER VETERANS DAY CEREMONY A U. S. Army sentinel guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier ordered a group accompanying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to maintain silence after laughter was heard near the memorial Wednesday.…
