Army sentinel reprimands Hegseth group at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

An Army sentinel guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier shouted at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his party on November 11 after laughter broke out as they left a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

"All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times," the soldier called out, in video first reported by CNN. Hegseth had been posing for photographs in front of the tomb with his wife, Jennifer, his chief of staff, Ricky Buria, his deputy chief of staff, Patrick Weaver, and senior adviser Tami Radabaugh.

Hegseth made no acknowledgment of the reprimand, looking over his shoulder and continuing up a set of stairs, NBC News reported. CBS News reported that it is not clear who in the group laughed, or whether Hegseth made any noise.

What the video shows

The footage shows the group in dark suits on the marble steps of the Memorial Amphitheater beside the tomb, with a sentinel in dress blues walking his post and a wreath standing nearby, Newsweek reported. The moment came around 12:30 p.m.; CNN aired it around 2:20 p.m. The sentinel halted his walk and turned to face the group as it was leaving.

Reuters, in an account published by Military Times, described the sentinel moving toward the group and shouting at it from a distance immediately after the laughter. The Associated Press reported a loud laugh as the group broke from taking photos on the empty steps.

Hegseth attended the ceremony with President Donald Trump, who laid a wreath, first lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance, and the wreath-laying was followed by a program at the nearby Memorial Amphitheater.

The tomb holds the remains of unidentified American service members from World War I, World War II and the Korean War, and it has been guarded around the clock since 1937, by the Army's 3rd Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, since 1948. Sentinels march 21 steps along a 63-foot mat and pause facing the tomb for 21 seconds, Newsweek reported.

Reprimands at the memorial are not unusual. Army Staff Sgt. Chadwick Winget, who belonged to the regiment that guards the tomb, said in a 2022 Army interview that sentinels react to the crowd two or three times a day, CBS News reported. The changing of the guard takes place at least once an hour, according to NBC News.

What the Pentagon said

Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman, responded with a two-sentence statement that did not dispute the sentinel's action. He said Hegseth and the entire department have always honored, and will always honor, the sacrifices American service members have made to keep the country safe.

The statement did not say who in the group laughed, and it did not name the soldier who delivered the reprimand.

While commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum.

Rep. Gwen Moore, a Wisconsin Democrat, wrote in a social media post that Hegseth continues to demonstrate his utter lack of fitness for his office. "One day after narrowly avoiding impeachment, he shows his contempt for our men and women in uniform by disrespecting the sanctity of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier," she wrote, in comments reported by the AP.

Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican congressman and Air Force veteran, wrote on X that Hegseth's behavior was unbecoming of any visitor to the tomb, let alone a secretary of defense, Newsweek reported. VoteVets, a progressive veterans organization, called the episode a disgrace and repeated its demand that Hegseth be impeached and removed from office.

Moe Davis, a retired Air Force colonel and former chief prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay, praised the soldier on X for treating the group the way he would any other that disrespected the tomb, Newsweek reported. Angie Wong, a Miami Republican committeewoman, questioned the criticism during an appearance on NewsNation.

The vote a day earlier

The House voted 211-204 on November 10 to shelve articles of impeachment against Hegseth brought by Rep. Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, NBC News reported. The effort was backed by Democrats, the AP reported, and Massie was the only Republican to vote against sending the articles to committee. Newsweek reported that the chamber sent eight articles to the Judiciary Committee.

Hegseth used his first news conference in months, hours before the vote, to argue that criticism of his handling of the military amounted to an indictment of the troops. "On the eve of Veterans Day, these resolutions tell every one of them that their service was a crime," he said, according to the AP. "This is not patriotism," he argued. "This is sabotage."

Trump called Massie, a Kentucky Republican who is leaving Congress, a "major loser" after the vote, according to the AP. NBC News reported that Massie was unseated following a Trump-led effort, and that Trump has said he would back Hegseth even if he were impeached.

Democrats take Congress in January

Democrats won control of both chambers in the November 3 midterm elections, in which the Iran war was a central issue, Al Jazeera reported. Hakeem Jeffries, the New York Democrat poised to become speaker when the new Congress is seated in January, has signaled his party will not dial back efforts to oust Hegseth, NBC News reported.

The record behind the charges

Critics have accused Hegseth, a former Army National Guard soldier who served in Iraq, of overseeing unlawful actions in the post, among them directing the US-Israel war on Iran without first seeking authorization from Congress, Al Jazeera reported. Hegseth argued at the news conference that he had committed none of the high crimes the Constitution requires for removal, the AP reported.

He has also championed deadly strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean, a campaign legal scholars have called a series of extrajudicial killings, according to Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera also reported that Hegseth has weakened rules intended to limit civilian casualties in US strikes, and that his tenure has included a push to bar transgender service members from the armed forces and the introduction of testosterone testing for male soldiers. Reuters reported that he has fired senior military officers.

Hegseth has rejected the allegations as politically motivated, Newsweek reported, and has faced scrutiny over the administration's military operations against Iran and Venezuela. He has dismissed the impeachment drive as political spectacle, according to NBC News. Democrats have promised investigations into his stewardship of the military and have not ruled out another impeachment attempt, Reuters reported.

Trump backed his defense secretary publicly from the Arlington podium earlier in the day. "He's done a fantastic job and he loves you and protects you," the president told the crowd, according to the Boston Globe. "He's all about you."

The episode was not the first time members of Trump's team have drawn controversy at Arlington. At an August 2024 ceremony marking three years since the Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul, which killed 13 US service members, the Army said a Trump campaign staffer pushed aside a cemetery employee who was trying to stop two people from filming and photographing.

The next move in Congress

The AP reported that Republicans may have only delayed the push against Hegseth, and that efforts to impeach him are likely to be renewed once Democrats hold majorities in both chambers in January.