Pete Hegseth awards medal to soldier who reprimanded him at memorial site

A U.S. soldier who was guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery has been awarded a medal by Pete Hegseth a day after rebuking him and a group of senior U.S. government officials for laughing at the burial site.

The Pentagon said it had given Specialist Thomas Iglesias a Joint Service Commendation Medal “for the execution of his duties at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” according to a statement obtained by the Associated Press.

“We love soldiers. We love standards. Well done, Specialist,” Hegseth wrote in an X post showcasing the medal ceremony.

We love soldiers.
We love standards.
Well done, Specialist.

Carry on Patriots. pic.twitter.com/Uk6ek6oOso

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) November 12, 2026

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Footage of the Memorial Day reprimand shows Hegseth posing for photos on the steps in front of the tomb with his wife, Jennifer, his chief of staff, Ricky Buria, deputy chief of staff Patrick Weaver and senior advisor Tami Radabaugh.

As the group breaks apart, a loud laugh can be heard, prompting the soldier guarding the tomb to shout, “All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times.”

A soldier guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier issued a verbal reprimand to a group of advisers and staffers with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. As the group broke from taking photos, a loud laugh could be… pic.twitter.com/dIPp8wMGEG

— The Associated Press (@AP) November 11, 2026

In response, Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, said that “while commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum,” according to a statement seen by the Associated Press.

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“The Secretary and the entire Department have always honored — and will always honor — the sacrifices our military men and women have made to keep America safe,” he added.

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The tomb is considered to be one of the most solemn war memorials in the U.S., and is the final resting place of unidentified soldiers who died during World War I, World War II and the Korean War.

It has been guarded around the clock by a soldier from the Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, also known as “The Old Guard,” since 1948.

Hegseth and his staff were at the tomb as part of a larger memorial event commemorating Veterans Day. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance were also in attendance.

His telling off came a day after Parnell came to Hegseth’s defence, following a failed attempt to impeach him. Parnell called the move a “political exercise devoid of merit, evidence, or seriousness,” after Republicans blocked the motion from Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie in a vote where 11 of the opposing party were not present.

The rejection of the charges prompted some scathing responses from newly elected senators, including Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat from Michigan who told his fellow lawmakers to “show up and do your job,” during an interview with CNN on Tuesday.

Hegseth dressed down the effort Tuesday, arguing that he had committed none of the high crimes that, if found guilty, would warrant his removal.

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He was accused of starting an unauthorized war with Iran, gross negligence in the handling of sensitive and classified military information, abusing the powers of his office by using his position to influence military decisions for improper political purposes, and knowingly exposing members of the Armed Forces to substantial and foreseeable risk of injury or death, among others.

A core part of his argument against the charges included the assertion that criticisms of him and his handling of the U.S. military were equivalent to an indictment against the nation’s service members and their successes.

“On the eve of Veterans Day, these resolutions tell every one of them that their service was a crime,” Hegseth said Tuesday.

“This is not patriotism,” Hegseth argued. “This is sabotage.”