Pete Hegseth tucks tail between legs as he awards 'patriot' who yelled at him during Veterans Day ceremony: 'Well done'

Sign up HERE for DC Insider - your free guide to what’s rocking Washington Published: 14:20 EST, 12 November 2026 | Updated: 14:51 EST, 12 November 2026 Pete Hegseth gave an award and took photos with the Army soldier who reprimanded the secretary of war and his top advisers for laughing at a Veterans Day ceremony.Following a ceremony honoring US veterans at Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Wednesday, the secretary, his wife Jennifer Hegseth, his chief of staff Ricky Buria and two other top advisers stopped to take a photo. After they snapped a group shot, they began walking away and laughter could be heard coming from the group. Immediately, a member of the 'Old Guard' assigned to guard the tomb, yelled at his boss and the group to quiet down and respect the sacred resting place of an unidentified WWI soldier. 'All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times!' the US Army sentinel screamed at the group after hearing their giggling. Hegseth was roundly criticized online and in the media for his group's lack of decorum, and soon after the Pentagon praised the soldier for doing a job well done. 'We love soldiers. We love standards. Well done, Specialist. Carry on Patriots,' Hegseth posted on his social media Thursday alongside images with the soldier who demanded his respect the day before. The images show Hegseth in his Pentagon office pinning a Joint Service Commendation Medal on Specialist Thomas Iglesias and shaking his hand. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth awards Specialist Thomas Iglesias with the Joint Service Commendation Medal after he told the secretary, his wife and top advisors to remain silent and respectful at the Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Wednesday 'All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times!' Iglesias yelled at Hegseth's group after someone began laughing at the memorial Hegseth was with his wife Jennifer Hegseth, shown above, when the group was yelled atA Pentagon spokesperson said the award was given 'for the execution of his duties' at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. On Wednesday evening, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said that the soldier 'correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum.'President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and others also attended the ceremony. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is considered one of, if not the most, famous military memorials in the country. It marks the final resting place of an unidentified American soldier who was killed during WWI. Members of the Army's 3rd Infantry Regiment, known as the 'Old Guard,' have been keeping a watchful eye over the tomb every day, regardless of the weather, since 1948. The day prior, Hegseth gave a rare Pentagon press briefing to condemn a now-failed effort to impeach him. The impeachment resolution, led by anti-Trump, outgoing Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, accused Hegseth of 'high crimes and misdemeanors,' as well as the kidnapping of a foreign leader and ignoring laws to minimize civilian casualties. Hegseth brought multiple members of the US Army 3rd Infantry, known as the 'Old Guard' to his Pentagon office after the incident Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said that Iglesias 'correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum.''What one disgruntled and defeated congressman is attempting is not oversight, and it's not accountability,' Hegseth said Tuesday at the briefing. 'It's a political spectacle.''That's what it is: policy disagreements, not high crimes, not misdemeanors, not treason, not bribery, not the kinds of offenses the founders intended when they wrote the impeachment clause.'