A US Army sentinel guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery appeared to reprimand a delegation accompanying Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday after laughter was heard during a visit to the solemn military memorial.
Video footage of the incident showed Hegseth, his wife and senior aides taking photographs and speaking among themselves while climbing the steps near the tomb following a Veterans Day event.
Shortly after laughter was heard, the sentinel approached the group and loudly reminded visitors of the rules governing conduct at the memorial.
“All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times,” the soldier called out from a distance.
The incident, first reported by CNN, drew attention because of the significance of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, one of the United States’ most revered military memorials.
Located within Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, the tomb contains the remains of three unidentified American service members, including one who died during World War I.
The memorial serves as a place of national remembrance and reflection on the sacrifices of military personnel. It is guarded continuously, 24 hours a day, by specially trained Army sentinels.
Responding to questions about the incident, Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell defended Hegseth’s commitment to honouring military service members while acknowledging that the sentinel had appropriately enforced the memorial’s rules.
“The Secretary and the entire Department have always honoured — and will always honour — the sacrifices our military men and women have made to keep America safe,” Parnell said in a statement.
“While commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum,” he added.
The footage did not establish who was responsible for the laughter or whether the sentinel’s warning was directed specifically at Hegseth.
Hegseth, a former Army National Guard soldier who served in Iraq, has also faced political scrutiny in Washington.
Earlier this week, the House of Representatives rejected an attempt by a Republican lawmaker to impeach the defence secretary.
The cemetery incident has nevertheless drawn renewed attention to the strict standards of silence and respect maintained at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where sentinels routinely remind visitors to observe proper decorum.