a group of men in military uniforms holding guns and a wreath with Tomb of the Unknowns in the background
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth enjoys holding conferences and marching back and forth onstage, extolling the virtues of the military and what makes a proper soldier. This generally means not being overweight and having a beard, among other Hegseth-specific stipulations.
But Hegseth and his group got reminded of the respect they owe soldiers while touring the Tomb of the Unknown soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day Wednesday.
Laughter broke out in Hegseth’s and Trump's group while standing at the tomb, and an Army Sentinel blasted Hegseth and company at the top of his voice for the group to pipe down.
“All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect! At all times!” shouted the sentinel, howling in a voice that can only be cultivated in a U.S. military proving ground.
“This happened just in the last hour or so,” reported CNN anchor Boris Sanchez. “Secretary Hegseth and some of his senior staff were at Arlington national cemetery alongside president Trump and JD Vance for this Veterans Day Ceremony. And there's this moment that was captured on camera where the army sentinel, who guards the tomb of the unknown soldier, effectively reprimands the secretary of defense and those staffers as they were taking photos.”
“For people who don't know, the tomb of the Unknown Soldier is one of the most sacred war memorials in the U.S., marking the final resting place of an unknown soldier who was killed in World War One,” said Cohen. “A soldier assigned to the old guard guards that tomb, rain or shine, in all circumstances, 24 hours a day, and has done so since 1948.”
“So obviously decorum, the atmosphere is supposed to be very solemn. And this soldier clearly reminding the secretary of defense of that in real time,” added Cohen.
CNN reports the Pentagon and Hegseth’s staff have not commented about being reprimanded at this solemn moment.
“Now, we should be clear, this is something that happens if people are at the tomb, if people are breaking the rules of decorum and silence,” said CNN anchor Brianna Keilar. “I just want to be clear that this is something that if you are a normal person who goes to Arlington cemetery and you go to this memorial, and you laugh, that would happen.”
“You will get similarly reprimanded by the Army Sentinel who is guarding the tomb at the time. Yes, absolutely,” confirmed Cohen.