A soldier guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier issued a verbal reprimand to a group of advisers and staffers with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, after laughter was heard as the group posed for photographs at the memorial.
Video of the incident shows Hegseth taking photos on the empty steps in front of the tomb with his wife, Jennifer, chief of staff Ricky Buria, deputy chief of staff Patrick Weaver and senior adviser Tami Radabaugh. As the group broke from taking photographs, a loud laugh could be heard, and the soldier guarding the tomb shouted that “all visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times.” It is not clear who in the group laughed, or whether Hegseth himself made any noise.
Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s top spokesman, said the soldier had acted properly. “While commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum,” Parnell said. “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.”
The reaction from Democrats was swift. Representative Gwen Moore of Wisconsin said the incident showed that Hegseth is demonstrating “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 a social media post. CNN was first to report the incident.
Hegseth and his staff were at the tomb as part of a larger ceremony commemorating Veterans Day that was also attended by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. The tomb is considered one of the most solemn and revered war memorials in the United States, housing the final resting place of unidentified soldiers from World War I, World War II and the Korean War. It has been guarded around the clock — rain or shine — by soldiers from the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, also known as “The Old Guard,” since 1948.
The incident comes less than a day after Hegseth narrowly survived an effort to impeach him in the House, when lawmakers voted 211 to 204 to send eight impeachment articles brought by Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky to the Judiciary Committee, effectively blocking an immediate floor vote.
