Pete Hegseth presented an award and posed for photographs with the Army soldier who had reprimanded the secretary of war and his senior advisers for laughing during a Veterans Day ceremony.
After Wednesday’s ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Hegseth, his wife Jennifer, chief of staff Ricky Buria and two other senior aides paused for a group photo.
Once the picture was taken, the group began to leave. Laughter could be heard as they walked away from the memorial.
A member of the Army’s Old Guard, stationed to protect the tomb, immediately called out to Hegseth and the others, ordering them to quiet down and honor the sacred site dedicated to an unidentified World War I serviceman.
“All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times!” the sentinel shouted after hearing the group laughing.
The incident drew sharp criticism online and in news coverage over what many viewed as a failure of decorum. Shortly afterward, the Pentagon commended the soldier for carrying out his responsibilities.
“We love soldiers. We love standards. Well done, Specialist. Carry on Patriots,” Hegseth wrote on social media Thursday, sharing photographs with the soldier who had demanded respect at the memorial the previous day.
The photographs show Hegseth in his Pentagon office presenting Specialist Thomas Iglesias with the Joint Service Commendation Medal and shaking his hand.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth presents Specialist Thomas Iglesias with the Joint Service Commendation Medal after Iglesias instructed the secretary, his wife and senior advisers to remain silent and respectful at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Wednesday
“All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times!” Iglesias called out to Hegseth’s group after someone began laughing at the memorial
Hegseth was accompanied by his wife, Jennifer Hegseth, pictured above, when the group was admonished
A Pentagon spokesperson said the medal recognized Iglesias “for the execution of his duties” at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Wednesday evening that the soldier had “correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum.”
President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other officials also attended the ceremony.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is regarded as one of the nation’s most prominent military memorials.
The monument serves as the final resting place of an unidentified American serviceman killed during World War I.
Since 1948, soldiers from the Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, have guarded the tomb around the clock in all weather conditions.
The day before the ceremony, Hegseth held a rare Pentagon news briefing to denounce a failed effort to impeach him.
The resolution, introduced by anti-Trump Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, who is leaving Congress, accused Hegseth of “high crimes and misdemeanors.” It also alleged that he had kidnapped a foreign leader and disregarded laws intended to reduce civilian casualties.
Hegseth invited several members of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, to his Pentagon office after the encounter
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Iglesias had “correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum.”
“What one disgruntled and defeated congressman is attempting is not oversight, and it’s not accountability,” Hegseth said during Tuesday’s briefing. “It’s a political spectacle.”
“That’s what it is: policy disagreements, not high crimes, not misdemeanors, not treason, not bribery, not the kinds of offenses the founders intended when they wrote the impeachment clause.”
