Overview
- A U.S. Army sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier loudly ordered visitors to “maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times” after laughter was heard from a group that included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
- Video shows Hegseth, his wife Jennifer and senior aides taking photos and talking at the memorial as President Trump and Vice President JD Vance attended a Veterans Day ceremony earlier that day.
- The footage captures Hegseth glancing back at the sentinel’s reprimand and continuing up the steps without a verbal response.
- The Pentagon’s top spokesman, Sean Parnell, said the soldier “correctly and respectfully” reminded the group to keep decorum and affirmed the department’s respect for service members; no disciplinary actions have been announced.
- The moment, which was widely shared by news outlets and on social media, underscores strict Old Guard rules that guard the tomb around the clock and gives the episode political weight because it came one day after a House effort to impeach Hegseth.