ع
Video captured on November 11, 2026 at Arlington National Cemetery showed an Army sentinel reprimanding a group that included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after audible laughter and talking near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier following a photo session. The sentinel, identified as Specialist Iglesias of the 3rd Infantry Regiment by CNN which first reported the exchange, halted his patrol to face the visitors and declare that all visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times. Hegseth’s wife Jennifer along with chief of staff Ricky Buria, deputy chief of staff Patrick Weaver and senior adviser Tami Radabaugh formed the group, according to accounts published by the Los Angeles Times and Politico. The episode took place after a Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony that drew President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell issued a statement backing the sentinel’s action, saying that while commemorating this solemn day a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum. Parnell added that 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, a position echoed across reporting by the BBC, The Guardian and Military.com. The Pentagon’s response emphasized that no further measures were required after the sentinel resumed his duties.
Specialist Iglesias belongs to the 3rd US Infantry Regiment known as The Old Guard, the unit responsible for guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier since 1948 according to historical summaries on the US Army website. That continuous duty originated with the establishment of 24-hour sentinel posts in 1937 following earlier reports of visitors failing to show proper respect at the site. A US Army article by Staff Sgt Chadwick Winget noted that sentinels address such disruptions two or three times daily on average despite most visitors intending no offense.
On November 12, 2026 Hegseth presented Specialist Iglesias with the Joint Service Commendation Medal during a Pentagon visit by the Old Guard unit, a development confirmed to CNN by a Pentagon official. Hegseth wrote on social media that we love soldiers we love standards well done Specialist carry on patriots. The award recognized the sentinel’s precise performance of duties at the tomb the previous day.
Arlington National Cemetery guidelines require all visitors to speak quietly and refrain from disrespectful or disorderly conduct at the memorial, a standard the Pentagon statement indicated the sentinel had properly enforced. The Mirror US and KTLA reported that the brief exchange prompted Hegseth and his party to glance toward the sentinel before proceeding up the steps. The event highlighted the tomb’s role as one of the nation’s most hallowed sites where foreign dignitaries and officials routinely pay tribute to fallen service members.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier originated in 1921 when Congress approved burial of an unidentified World War I American to represent all such casualties, according to records maintained by Arlington National Cemetery and the US Army. Selection of the remains occurred in France under strict protocols to guarantee anonymity before the interment at the cemetery on November 11, 1921 with President Warren G Harding presiding. The site later incorporated unknowns from World War II and the Korean War while the Old Guard assumed its sentinel responsibilities to preserve the memorial’s sanctity around the clock.
