Guard reprimands Hegseths entourage for misconduct at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Scolded at Arlington National Cemetery

A video has surfaced showing a US Army sentinel reprimanding a group accompanying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday. The incident occurred as Hegseth and his staff paused for group photos, prompting the guard to loudly remind them to “maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times.”

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a memorial site honoring unidentified US soldiers from World War I and later conflicts. A member of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, known as the “Old Guard,” watches over the site 24 hours a day.

Hegseth’s visit to the cemetery took place on Veterans Day, amid speculation about his future in the administration of President Donald Trump. Hegseth narrowly avoided a vote on articles of impeachment brought against him in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday.

Critics have accused Hegseth of overseeing several actions without congressional authorization, including the US-Israel war on Iran and a campaign targeting alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. Legal scholars have described this campaign as a series of extrajudicial killings.

During his tenure as defense secretary, Hegseth has faced criticism for weakening rules meant to minimize civilian casualties in US strikes. He has also been involved in controversy surrounding right-wing culture war issues, including efforts to ban transgender service members from the armed forces and testosterone testing for male soldiers.

In response to the incident at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated that the sentinel had responded “correctly” and emphasized Hegseth’s commitment to respecting US soldiers.

Source: Al Jazeera