‘Silence!’ Guard yells at Hegseth’s group for laughing near Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

November 12, 2026 — 10:01amWashington: A guard at Arlington Cemetery had to reprimand a group that included US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth for laughing outside the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a Veterans Day ceremony.Hegseth, his wife and several others posed for a photograph outside the tomb, before some members of the party – it was not clear who – briefly spoke and laughed.The Sentinel on duty immediately barked: “All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times.”The incident, which was captured on video, took place as Hegseth and other administration figures, including President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, were at Arlington Cemetery for official commemorations of Veterans Day, a federal holiday honouring armed service veterans.In a statement to this masthead, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said: “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 confirmed: “While commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum.”The Pentagon would not clarify, when asked, who was responsible for breaking decorum.The incident came a day after Hegseth survived an impeachment attempt in the House of Representatives that was led by an outgoing Republican congressman, Thomas Massie.Massie and Democrats were seeking to impeach Hegseth over the Iran war, which they argued Hegseth was executing in contravention of directions from Congress, and numerous other accusations, including military strikes on suspected drug boats that killed at least 243 people without a legal process.Republicans successfully referred the impeachment resolution to a committee, effectively killing it off. They were aided by 11 Democrats who missed the vote, including former speaker Nancy Pelosi, who had returned to San Francisco for a Veterans Day function.Hegseth will likely face another impeachment attempt when Democrats gain control of the House of Representatives early next year.On Wednesday (US time), Trump gave Hegseth a shout-out during his Veterans Day cemetery speech, which was met by cheers from the audience. “I had a feeling that was going to happen,” the president remarked.Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.From our partners