An Army sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier publicly reprimanded Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's entourage on Veterans Day after members of the group laughed and talked loudly near the memorial, according to multiple outlets including Fox News.

Hegseth was at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday alongside President Trump, Vice President JD Vance and first lady Melania Trump for the annual Veterans Day ceremony. His group, which included senior staff, stopped on the memorial's steps to take photographs after the formal ceremony concluded, according to Al Jazeera. In video shared widely online, the group can be heard talking and laughing loudly enough that the guard on duty broke the ceremony's traditional silence to intervene.

ALL VISITORS WILL MAINTAIN AN ATMOSPHERE OF SILENCE AND RESPECT AT ALL TIMES!

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been continuously guarded since 1937 by sentinels who follow a strict, scripted protocol, and visitors are customarily expected to remain silent near the memorial out of respect for the unidentified service members interred there.

Pentagon defends the guard

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell defended the sentinel's actions, saying in a statement that the guard had responded "correctly," according to CNN. There has been no indication that Hegseth or any member of his staff will face any disciplinary action; the word "reprimanded" in most headlines refers to the sentinel's on-the-spot rebuke rather than any formal Pentagon response.

The moment comes as Hegseth navigates a turbulent stretch at the Pentagon, having recently survived a House effort to force an impeachment vote following the GOP's midterm losses. The viral clip has added another distraction for a defense secretary already facing scrutiny over his conduct, with critics seizing on the episode as emblematic of a broader pattern, while allies have dismissed it as an overblown moment blown up by a hostile press.