A U.S. Army sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier publicly rebuked a group traveling with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, after some in the group were heard laughing near the memorial following the Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
The moment was caught on video that CNN aired Wednesday afternoon. After the 73rd National Veterans Day Observance, Hegseth stood for photos 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.
Some members of the group were laughing and chatting as they climbed the marble steps of the Memorial Amphitheater. The soldier walking his post in front of the Tomb then called out to them.
“All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times!” the sentinel shouted.
The group appeared to glance back before continuing up the stairs.
CNN senior reporter Zachary Cohen said someone in Hegseth’s group was “audibly laughing” while chatting and taking photos after the ceremony. The footage did not make clear who laughed or whether Hegseth himself was one of them.
The Pentagon and Hegseth’s staff had not commented on the incident, according to CNN.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is one of the most sacred war memorials in the country. It holds the remains of an unidentified American soldier killed in World War I. Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as “The Old Guard,” have guarded it around the clock since 1948, in all weather.
Sentinels are trained to enforce silence and respect at the site, and they will call out visitors who get too loud. Presidents, foreign dignitaries and other public figures regularly visit the Tomb to honor America’s fallen.
The rebuke came hours after Hegseth stood alongside President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the morning’s national wreath-laying ceremony. It also came at a difficult moment for the Pentagon chief.
On Tuesday, Hegseth survived a House vote on impeachment. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., filed the resolution earlier this week to force a vote following the midterm elections. Ahead of the vote, Hegseth said he was eager to defend the administration’s policy choices in Iran and Venezuela. Trump has said Hegseth is “doing a good job.”
The episode spread quickly online, with critics seizing on the image of a sentinel scolding the nation’s top defense official on a day meant to honor those who served. Supporters of the secretary noted that the video does not show who in the group was laughing.
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