The sentinel at the Tomb scolded the VP for desecrating a sacred spot
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As children, we visited Arlington National Cemetery but were warned by our mother that we must be very quiet and respectful in honor of those who gave their lives for their country.
When we stopped at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, our mother put her finger over her lips, indicating absolute silence.
We understood.
The Secretary of Defense did not.
The soldiers who guard the sacred Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are told to act in complete silence, but not when someone desecrates the monument.
The story
This is how the VP and his entourage enraged the sentinel,
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and members of his senior staff received a stern reminder about proper behavior at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday after someone in their group was heard laughing near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier..
CNN’s Brianna Keilar described the Veterans Day encounter as a “pretty stunning moment” after an Army sentinel interrupted the group’s visit to demand “silence and respect.”
“All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times,” the soldier called out Wednesday as Hegseth’s group was finishing a photo opportunity.
Video captured the group posing for photographs before someone could be heard laughing, prompting the sentinel’s reprimand.
“The atmosphere, supposed to be very solemn,” CNN reporter Zachary Cohen said. “And this soldier, clearly reminding the secretary of defense of that in real time.”
Cohen explained that the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is among America’s most sacred military memorials, honoring unidentified service members. Soldiers assigned to the Army’s Old Guard maintain a continuous watch over the tomb, he added.
CNN, Nov. 11, 2026
The Tomb is sacred
Here is a short version of the history,
On November 11, 1921, the United States dedicated the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, honoring an unidentified service member killed in World Ar I. The memorial reflected a shift in how nations remembered the war’s dead.
Before World War I fallen soldiers were usually buried in mass graves, with little effort made to repatriate or identify their bodies. Memorials were mostly reserved for major victories and high-ranking officials. But the staggering death toll of the global conflict—an estimated 8.5 million to 10 million military deaths—prompted calls for all soldiers to be memorialized in a profound and lasting manner.
Hegeth was humiliated by the incident as people from both parties criticized his action and that of those with him. Later, he was forced to give the sentinel some military recognition for doing his job.
His job may be on the line, and that may have changed his attitude.
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