"Please Be Quiet!" U.S. Defense Secretary Reprimanded by Private After Laughing and Chatting at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Guard Demands Silence After Hearing Laughter

Narrowly Avoids Impeachment Push a Day Earlier

Repeated Controversies Over Iran War and Military Secrets Leak

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was publicly reprimanded by a guard protecting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier after visiting Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day. The incident occurred just one day after he narrowly survived an impeachment push over his handling of the war with Iran, reigniting controversy over his conduct.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was publicly reprimanded by a guard protecting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a visit to Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day. AFP-Yonhap News

On the 12th, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing CNN, the Associated Press and other outlets, that Secretary Hegseth was told to be quiet while attending a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia that day. U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance also attended the event.

The incident occurred after the official ceremony had ended. Secretary Hegseth took a commemorative photo on the steps near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with his wife, Jennifer Hegseth, and a group that included senior aides. CNN reported that White House Chief of Staff Ricky Buria, Deputy Chief of Staff Patrick Weaver and senior adviser Tammy Laderbo were among those present. As the group moved away after taking the photo, voices and laughter could be heard, and the scene was captured by cameras from broadcasters at the site.

A U.S. Army sentinel patrolling in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier suddenly stopped, turned toward the group and shouted loudly, "All visitors must maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times!" In effect, the secretary of defense, who leads the U.S. military's highest-ranking command, and his senior aides had been publicly admonished by a frontline soldier.

The incident occurred after the official event had ended. Secretary Hegseth was reprimanded by a guard while posing for a commemorative photo with his wife, Jennifer Hegseth, and senior aides on the steps near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. BBC

The sentinel immediately resumed his patrol. Secretary Hegseth looked back toward him, then walked up the steps and left. However, the video did not clearly show who had laughed. U.S. media outlets reported the incident using terms such as "scolded" and "reprimanded" to describe how the sentinel addressed Secretary Hegseth's group.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is one of the United States' foremost memorials to service members whose identities were unknown and who died in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Since 1948, elite guards from the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Regiment have maintained a 24-hour watch there, regardless of the weather. If they see visitors causing a disturbance or behaving inappropriately, the guards demand silence, regardless of the visitors' identity or status.

CBS News reported that a noncommissioned officer from the unit said in a 2022 interview that the guards sometimes have to warn visitors two or three times a day.

Regarding the incident, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement, "The Secretary and the entire Department of Defense have always respected, and will continue to respect, the sacrifices made by the service members who have kept America safe." He added, "During this solemn day's observance, one soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to be courteous."

Criticism also came from U.S. politicians. Former Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger criticized Secretary Hegseth on X, formerly Twitter, saying he had failed to conduct himself appropriately even at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In an interview with CNN, Kinzinger said he found it difficult to understand that the secretary of defense had taken photos and chatted while laughing at a solemn memorial, but that he was proud of the sentinel for upholding the rules regardless of anyone's status.

The incident is drawing particular attention because it happened the day after Secretary Hegseth narrowly avoided an impeachment push in Congress. On the 10th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed, by 211 votes to 204, a motion to refer a resolution to impeach Secretary Hegseth to the House Judiciary Committee. As a result, no direct floor vote on the impeachment resolution took place, effectively halting the impeachment effort for the current congressional session.

Since taking office, Secretary Hegseth has been embroiled in repeated controversies over mishandling classified military information, the legality of military operations and restrictions on the press. A prominent example was the so-called "Signalgate" scandal that emerged in March 2025. It was revealed that Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the U.S. current affairs magazine The Atlantic, had been mistakenly added to a group chat in which senior Trump Administration officials were discussing plans for strikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels on the messaging app Signal. Secretary Hegseth reportedly shared sensitive military operational information in the chat, including the takeoff times of U.S. military aircraft and the schedule for the strikes, sparking controversy.

Calls for impeachment continued, but the person who actually pursued it was not a Democratic lawmaker from the opposition party; it was Republican Representative Thomas Massie. Massie argued that Secretary Hegseth had violated the Constitution and the law by continuing the war with Iran without congressional authorization and by conducting military operations in Yemen, Venezuela and the Caribbean region.

The impeachment resolution submitted by Massie listed eight grounds for impeachment. The central allegation was that Secretary Hegseth had infringed on Congress's constitutional authority over the conduct of war. In the vote, Massie was the only Republican representative to oppose referring the resolution to the Judiciary Committee. The absence of 11 Democratic lawmakers from the vote also drew criticism. The Trump Administration countered that the impeachment effort was politically motivated. Vice President JD Vance also dismissed claims that Secretary Hegseth's actions constituted grounds for impeachment. Democrats have left open the possibility of reviving the impeachment issue when the new Congress convenes in January 2027.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.