On a Veterans Day morning at Arlington National Cemetery, a sentinel who has kept watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for generations reminded a group of officials that the place asks for silence, not laughter. The moment fell a single day after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had survived an impeachment push in Congress, which places a small act of decorum inside a larger argument about who is entitled to stand in the presence of the nation's dead and how public power should conduct itself there. The Pentagon has called the rebuke appropriate, while Democrats see in it a sign of unfitne
Guard at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Scolds Hegseth and Staff After Veterans Day Photos
A loud laugh, then a guard's order for silence and respect
Mark
Why does a guard telling people to be quiet become a national story?
Mimi
Because of where it happened and who it was. The tomb has had a sentinel around the clock since 1948, and the people reprimanded were the War Secretary's own circle.
Mark
What does the video actually show?
Mimi
Hegseth taking photos on the empty steps with his wife and three senior staffers. When they break up, a loud laugh is heard, then the guard shouts about silence and respect.
Luke
Worth being precise there. The reporting says a laugh could be heard. It doesn't say who laughed, and it doesn't say Hegseth did.
Mimi
Right. The reprimand was directed at the group, and the Pentagon's response treated it as a reminder to everyone.
Mark
How did the Pentagon respond?
Mimi
Spokesman Sean Parnell said the soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum, and that the department always honours the sacrifices of service members.
Luke
Notice that's not a denial or an apology. It accepts the guard was right without saying anyone did anything wrong.
Mark
And the timing?
Mimi
It came a day after the impeachment effort led by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie failed, which is why Democrats like Gwen Moore tied the two together.
Luke
That's her characterization, though. Moore says it shows contempt for troops. The facts are a video, a rebuke and a statement. What the Democratic takeover in January does to impeachment is also a forecast, not a certainty.
O Pulso
- A sentinel's sharp rebuke cut through a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington after Hegseth's entourage laughed and posed on the Tomb's steps.
- The Defense Secretary, his wife and senior aides were caught on video, turning a solemn site into a flashpoint.
- One day after narrowly escaping an impeachment vote, Hegseth now faces a fresh wave of criticism over his conduct at a sacred memorial.
- The Pentagon has defended the guard's reprimand as appropriate, while Democrats call it proof of unfitness for office.
- With Democrats set to control both chambers in January, impeachment efforts are likely to return and military-site conduct will face sharper scrutiny.
On a Veterans Day morning at Arlington National Cemetery, a sentinel who has kept watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier for generations reminded a group of officials that the place asks for silence, not laughter. The moment fell a single day after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had survived an impeachment push in Congress, which places a small act of decorum inside a larger argument about who is entitled to stand in the presence of the nation's dead and how public power should conduct itself there. The Pentagon has called the rebuke appropriate, while Democrats see in it a sign of unfitness, and the question of what respect at a memorial demands is now joined to a fight over the office itself, which may return when a new Congress convenes in January.
On Wednesday, after the Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, a guard standing watch at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier raised his voice at a group of visitors. They were advisers and staffers of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the guard told them that all visitors must keep silence and respect at all times.
Video shows Hegseth taking photos on the empty steps before the tomb, with his wife Jennifer and senior aides nearby. As the group broke from posing, a loud laugh rang out, and then the rebuke. The tomb holds unidentified soldiers from two world wars and Korea, and since 1948 a sentinel from The Old Guard has kept watch over it day and night, in every weather.
The Pentagon's spokesman, Sean Parnell, said the soldier had correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to keep decorum, and that the Department always honours the sacrifices of service members. Democrats were swift to respond. Rep. Gwen Moore said the scene revealed Hegseth's utter lack of fitness for office, showing contempt for the uniformed men and women he leads.
The episode came one day after Hegseth narrowly survived an impeachment effort led by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and backed by Democrats. Republicans may only have delayed the matter, since Democrats take control of both chambers in January. Earlier, in his first news conference in months, Hegseth had insisted he committed no high crimes and called the criticism of him an indictment of the troops, declaring, "This is not patriotism. This is sabotage."
The Arlington episode also recalls a 2024 incident, when a campaign staffer shoved a cemetery employee during a ceremony attended by Donald Trump, a moment that drew its own criticism. With a new Congress approaching, renewed impeachment efforts look likely, and Hegseth's conduct at military sites may be watched more closely.
On Wednesday, after a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, a soldier standing guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier raised his voice at a group of visitors. They were U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth's advisers and staffers, and the guard told them that all visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times.
Video of the moment shows Hegseth taking photos on the empty steps in front of the tomb. With him were his wife, Jennifer, chief of staff Ricky Buria, deputy chief of staff Patrick Weaver and senior adviser Tami Radabaugh. As the group broke from posing, a loud laugh can be heard on the recording, and then the guard's rebuke.
The tomb is among the most solemn memorials in the United States. It is the final resting place of unidentified soldiers from the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. Since 1948, a soldier from the Army's 3rd Infantry Regiment, known as The Old Guard, has watched over it around the clock, in rain or sun.
Hegseth and his staff were at the cemetery for a larger Veterans Day commemoration that was also attended by President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance.
Sean Parnell, the Pentagon's top spokesman, responded by saying that while marking the day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum. He added that the Secretary and the entire Department have always honoured, and will always honour, the sacrifices made by military men and women to keep America safe.
The episode came one day after Hegseth narrowly survived an impeachment effort in Congress. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie led the push, and Democrats backed it. It failed in Tuesday's vote, but Republicans may have only delayed it. Democrats are set to take control of the House and Senate in January, and the effort is likely to be renewed.
On Tuesday, in his first news conference in months, Hegseth argued that he had committed none of the high crimes the Constitution requires for removal. He also said that criticism of him and his handling of the military amounted to an indictment of the country's service members. On the eve of Veterans Day, he said, the resolutions told every one of them that their service was a crime. "This is not patriotism," he said. "This is sabotage."
Democrats reacted quickly to the Arlington video. Rep. Gwen Moore said it showed his utter lack of fitness for office. In a social media post she wrote that one day after narrowly avoiding impeachment, he showed contempt for men and women in uniform by disrespecting the sanctity of the tomb.
It is not the first time people around Trump have drawn criticism at Arlington. In 2024, during his campaign for a second term, Trump attended a ceremony honouring U.S. forces killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. A campaign staffer reportedly shoved a cemetery employee who was trying to stop two people from filming and photographing the event. Trump, invited by troops' families, later posted a TikTok video of himself at the cemetery, with a voiceover blaming the Biden administration for the Afghanistan withdrawal. U.S. law prohibits campaign or election-related activities in national military cemeteries.
With Democrats taking both chambers in January, renewed impeachment efforts look likely, and Hegseth's conduct at military sites may draw closer attention.
Citações Notáveis
A soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum.— Sean Parnell, Pentagon spokesman
Hegseth showed his utter lack of fitness for his office.— Rep. Gwen Moore
Quer a matéria completa?
Leia o original em CBC ↗