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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday awarded a commendation to the Army sentinel who reprimanded him and his guests for their behavior at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Veterans Day.
“We love soldiers. We love standards. Well done, Specialist,” Hegseth wrote in a post on X with a picture of him awarding Army Spc. Thomas Iglesias the Joint Service Commendation Medal for his action while guarding the site.
Hegseth, his wife, Jennifer, and some of Hegseth’s top aides were taking pictures, talking and laughing in front of the tomb on Wednesday when Iglesias directed them to stop.
“All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times,” he shouted.
Hegseth did not acknowledge the reprimand at the time, and looked over his shoulder before continuing to walk up a set of stairs.
Asked for comment after the incident, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Hegseth and the department “have always honored” service members’ sacrifices and praised Iglesias’ actions.
“While commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum,” Parnell said in a statement.
The medal Hegseth gave Iglesias is for service members who have “distinguished themselves by meritorious achievement or service,” according to the Army .
Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as “The Old Guard,” stand watch at the tomb 24 hours a day, in part to make sure visitors behave respectfully. “In the early 1920s, people often used the Tomb as a picnic area. Today, challenges include tourists speaking too loudly or entering the post for a better picture,” according to the Pentagon’s website .
The incident happened at a politically fraught time for Hegseth.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth earlier his week. The Republican-led House voted 211-204 to shelve the resolution , but Democrats are likely to renew efforts to oust him when they become the majority party in January.
Hegseth blasted Massie’s effort as “political spectacle,” saying the impeachment push was “a farce and a stunt.”
I am NBC News’ producer & off-air reporter covering stories about and related to the Defense Department around the world.
Courtney Kube is a correspondent covering national security and the military for the NBC News Investigative Unit.
Dareh Gregorian is a politics reporter for NBC News.
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Military cemetery decorum: The tradition behind Hegseth's Veterans Day reprimand
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has awarded a medal to the guard who reprimanded his group at Arlington National Cemetery.
A video of a Veterans Day observance event on Wednesday showed Hegseth, his wife and senior advisers laughing and talking while posing for photos in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before the guard told them to be quiet.
In a statement, the Pentagon later announced that Hegseth had given Specialist Thomas Iglesias a Joint Service Commendation Medal "for the execution of his duties at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier".
Photos shared on the defence secretary's X account showed him presenting the medal to Iglesias.
He was accompanied by others whom the Pentagon identified as members of the 3rd US Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, which is responsible for holding vigil over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
"We love soldiers. We love standards. Well done, Specialist. Carry on Patriots," the accompanying text on Hegseth's post reads.
In the video, the army sentinel on duty later identified as Iglesias can be seen stepping towards Hegseth's group and shouting: "All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times."
Hegseth (right) awarding the medal to Specialist Iglesias
The Arlington National Cemetery etiquette requests that visitors speak quietly and do not engage in disrespectful or disorderly conduct.
The tomb, which is one of the country's most sacred war memorials, marks the final resting place of an unknown soldier who was killed in World War One.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement: "While commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum.
"The Secretary and the entire Department have always honoured - and will always honour - the sacrifices our military men and women have made to keep America safe."
A service member from the 3rd Infantry Regiment stands watch over the tomb 24 hours a day and has done so since 1948.
It is not unusual for them to admonish visitors to the site, according to the BBC's US partner CBS News. They reportedly do so a few times a day.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and First Lady Melania Trump bow their heads in prayer during a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery
Earlier, President Donald Trump, Vice-President JD Vance and other top officials attended the annual wreath-laying at the cemetery.
During his speech at the ceremony, Trump offered his gratitude to uniformed service members who have fought for the country. He also touted what he sees as his administration's success in the Iran war.
Trump also pointed out Hegseth during the ceremony, saying he's done a "fantastic job" as defence secretary.
On Tuesday, an effort to impeach the defence secretary under accusations that he waged war on Iran without congressional authorisation failed on Capitol Hill .
Hegseth has called the impeachment efforts a "farce" and a "stunt".
US Army guard reprimands group that includes US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at Arlington National Cemetery.
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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and a group he was with were reprimanded by a sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday. The incident followed a wreath-laying ceremony marking Veterans Day.
Hegseth had joined the group for a photo and someone laughed, prompting the US Army sentinel guarding the tomb to shout. "All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times", the sentinel said.
According to the BBC's US partner, CBS News, the people in the photo before the reprimand also included Hegseth's advisers Patrick Weaver and Tami Radabaugh, Hegseth's chief of staff Ricky Buria and Hegseth's wife Jennifer Hegseth.
"While commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum," Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was reprimanded Wednesday by an Army sentinel guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier who asked him and his guests to maintain an atmosphere of “silence and respect.”
Hegseth, his wife, Jennifer, and some of his top aides were taking pictures, talking and laughing in front of the tomb, a memorial to unidentified service members killed in battle located at Arlington National Cemetery. Hegseth had been attending a Veterans Day ceremony at which President Donald Trump laid a wreath in honor of fallen service members.
The incident puts Hegseth’s name back in the headlines just one day after he narrowly dodged impeachment .
Hegseth and his wife were taking pictures alongside some of his top aides when the sentinel shouted at the group: “All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times.”
Hegseth made no acknowledgment of the reprimand, looking over his shoulder and continuing to walk up a set of stairs.
Asked for comment on the interaction, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Hegseth and the department “have always honored” service members’ sacrifices.
“While commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum,” Parnell said in a statement.
Soldiers stand watch over the tomb 24 hours a day , complete with an elaborate changing of the guard ceremony that happens at least once every hour.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a vocal critic of the Iran war who was unseated following a Trump-led effort, introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth this week. The Republican-led House voted 211-204 to shelve the resolution. But Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who is poised to become speaker of the House come January, has signaled Democrats will not dial back efforts to oust Hegseth.
Hegseth has downplayed the efforts, calling them “political spectacle.”
Trump has repeatedly expressed support for Hegseth, and he has said he would back him even if he were to be impeached.
Eleanor Skelly is a White House Researcher for NBC News.
I am NBC News’ producer & off-air reporter covering stories about and related to the Defense Department around the world.
Courtney Kube is a correspondent covering national security and the military for the NBC News Investigative Unit.
Raquel Coronell Uribe is a politics reporter for NBC News.
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