Veterans are giving Pete Hegseth a dressing-down after the Fox host-turned-defense secretary and his group broke decorum at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and were admonished by an Army sentinel.
The embarrassing moment unfolded during a Veterans Day photo op for Hegseth, his wife Jennifer, his chief of staff Ricky Buria, deputy chief of staff Patrick Weaver, and senior adviser Tami Radabaugh at Arlington National Cemetery’s sacred military memorial.
Someone called for another photo before the group broke into loud laughter, violating the decorum expected at the memorial, the final resting place of an unidentified U.S. soldier from World War I.
“All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times,” the Army sentinel guarding the tomb bellowed.
The reprimand prompted the group to scurry away quickly while drawing a look back from Hegseth.
Veterans were quick to pile on the defense secretary, who is fighting to keep his job amid questions over his leadership at the Pentagon and his role in the Iran war.
Hegseth, his wife and team taking photos at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before being reprimanded on Wednesday.
“Everybody knows when you go to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, you don’t laugh, you don’t talk loudly, you show respect. You show honor at this tomb,” said former GOP congressman Adam Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran, in a video on X. “I have never seen an official get scolded like that.”
During an appearance on CNN’s The Arena With Kasie Hunt, Kinzinger doubled down, saying, “This is a completely inappropriate mess on his end.”
He also praised the sentinel for holding the defense secretary—who wants to be called “secretary of war”—to the same standard as any other visitor.
Moe Davis, a retired Air Force colonel, also praised the sentinel and called Hegseth a “daily dishonor and disgrace” in a post on X.
“Raise your hand if you managed to visit Arlington National Cemetery without getting reprimanded by a member of The Old Guard for disrespectful conduct,” Davis wrote in a second post, referring to the elite unit tasked with protecting the Tomb.
Charlotte Clymer, a transgender Army veteran, chimed in: “If you somehow think Hegseth was singled out by the Tomb Guard for laughing, you can search online and find *many* videos of Tomb Guards reprimanding people for being loud and disrespectful.”
“The only difference in those are tourists and kids, not the Secretary of Defense.”
Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell acknowledged the incident in a statement to the Daily Beast.
“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. While commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum,” he said.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the veterans’ criticism.
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