Hegseth Slammed After Guard At Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier Calls Out His Group's Disrespectful Behavior On Veterans Day

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was criticized after his group had to be admonished by a U.S. Army sentinel for loudly talking and laughing at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day.

Strict decorum is maintained at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, one of the nation’s most revered war memorials. The tomb commemorates an unidentified American serviceman killed during World War I, with remains two unknown soldiers from World War II and the Korean War later added. Since 1948, a soldier from the Army’s Old Guard has stood watch over it around the clock, in all weather conditions.

Hegseth was with some members of his senior staff when they stopped to take photos. Footage obtained by CNN shows that the group was talking and laughing loudly enough to warrant a reprimand from an Army sentinel.

The sentinel yelled:

“All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times!"

You can watch what happened in the video below.

Hegseth did not address the incident directly. Instead, Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a written statement: "While commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum."

Hegseth was quickly called out for a display of disrespect observers noted is standard for the Trump administration—even at solemn sites like this one.

Hegseth and his team were reprimanded just a day after he survived impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives.

In a closely contested 211–204 vote, the Republican-controlled House voted to send the impeachment resolution to committee, effectively shelving the effort to impeach Hegseth over the war in Iran and other allegations until the next Congress, when Democrats will take control of both chambers following their historic victories in last week's midterm elections.

The impeachment resolution brought by Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie alleges that Hegseth abused his office in several ways, including launching military action against Iran without congressional approval, failing to safeguard civilians, and overseeing deadly strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean.

Hegseth was adamant earlier this week that every military operation he oversaw "was a lawful operation ordered by the Commander in Chief, then ordered by myself, notified to Congress, and executed by American warriors who did their jobs."