Army Sentinel Rebukes Hegseth's Group at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Veterans Day
After a wreath-laying, someone in the defense secretary's party laughed after a photo and a guard demanded silence. The Pentagon says the soldier was right.
A guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery loudly reprimanded a group that included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday for making noise at the site, CBS News reported.
Hegseth, his wife and several aides, including chief of staff Ricky Buria, visited the tomb for a Veterans Day wreath-laying. A ceremony followed at the nearby Memorial Auditorium. President Trump and first lady Melania Trump also attended the event.
After the ceremony, the defense secretary and his team posed for a photo. As they started to walk away, a member of the group audibly laughed. A U.S. Army sentinel then called out: "All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times."
It is not clear who laughed, or whether Hegseth made any noise himself. CNN was first to report the incident, and video of the moment spread widely on social media.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell responded in a statement to CBS News. "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," he said. "While commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum."
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorializes American service members from World War I and later conflicts whose remains were never identified. Sentinels march in front of the tomb 24 hours a day, a prestigious posting within the Army, and are known for the guard-changing ceremony.
Reprimands of this kind are not unusual. Army Staff Sgt. Chadwick Winget, who served with the regiment that guards the tomb, said in a 2022 Army interview that sentinels react to the crowd two or three times a day.
The episode drew attention because of who was in the group and because it happened on Veterans Day. Hegseth has had a turbulent stretch in Congress, where Rep. Thomas Massie's articles of impeachment against him were sent to committee by a 211-204 House vote earlier this week. The Pentagon's statement treated the sentinel's rebuke as appropriate, and it did not suggest any discipline for anyone in the party.
The timing adds to the attention. In a 60 Minutes interview broadcast days after the midterm elections, Trump suggested some top administration officials could be on their way out, saying he would be "doing maybe a few changes." One hour after the interview, he announced that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles would be replaced by Stephen Miller. Hegseth, who oversees the Iran war effort at the Pentagon, has been at the center of several of the fights Democrats say they will pursue now that they control the House.
Veterans Day, observed every Nov. 11, honors all who have served in the U.S. armed forces. The wreath-laying at the tomb is a fixture of the day for presidents and defense secretaries, and the ceremony is normally one of the quietest moments on the calendar. Wednesday's exchange, which lasted only seconds, became the most talked-about part of it.
