A Pentagon spokesman said the soldier correctly reminded visitors to maintain decorum at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Read the storyNovember 11, 2026, 3:40 p.m. Central time.
A soldier guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier called for silence and respect after a group including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posed for photographs at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day.
A laugh was audible as the group moved after the photographs, the Associated Press reported. The guard called out the requirement that visitors maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect. The reporting does not identify who laughed.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told AP that the soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum. He said the department honors the sacrifices of U.S. service members.
CNN reported that Hegseth’s wife and several senior aides were with him after the ceremony. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance had attended the observance.
The tomb is a memorial to unidentified U.S. service members. The Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, has guarded it continuously since 1948, according to AP.
The cemetery asks visitors to maintain a respectful atmosphere at the memorial. The soldier’s instruction came after the formal Veterans Day ceremony; no further incident was described in the reports cited here.
1948: The Old Guard began the continuous watch, AP reports. November 11, 2026: The Veterans Day observance was held; the reminder followed the ceremony.
The star marks the approximate Arlington National Cemetery area.
Map data: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Associated Press: incident and Pentagon response · CNN: video and ceremony context · Arlington National Cemetery: the Tomb
Hero and thumbnail: conceptual editorial illustration, not a photograph.
