Hegseth gives medal to Army sentinel who reprimanded him at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday awarded a commendation to the Army sentinel who reprimanded him and his guests at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Veterans Day. Army Spc. Thomas Iglesias received the Joint Service Commendation Medal at the Pentagon ¹².

Hegseth posted photos of the presentation on X. One showed him pinning the medal to Iglesias' chest ⁴.

On tapeCBS News · Nov 12

▶1:39

We love soldiers. We love standards. Well done, Specialist.

What happened at the tomb

On Wednesday, Hegseth, his wife, Jennifer, and some of his top aides were taking pictures, talking and laughing in front of the tomb at Arlington National Cemetery. Iglesias, who was guarding the site, told them to stop ¹.

All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times.

Hegseth did not acknowledge the reprimand at the time. He looked over his shoulder and kept walking up a set of stairs ¹. Video of the exchange circulated online and drew bipartisan criticism of the defense secretary, Newsweek reported ³.

From Channel GOPMassie reads impeachment charges against Hegseth on House floorThomas Massie · 284 plays · captioned, with the source named

The group had been at the cemetery for a Veterans Day ceremony. President Trump and Vice President JD Vance attended and laid wreaths. Trump said in his speech that Hegseth had done a "fantastic job" ².

The Pentagon's response

After the incident, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said that "a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum" ¹. A Pentagon official said Hegseth hosted the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, at the Pentagon to give Iglesias the medal for "the execution of his duties" at the tomb on Nov. 11 ⁴.

On tapeABC 7 Chicago · Nov 12

▶0:43

The Army says the medal goes to service members who have "distinguished themselves by meritorious achievement or service" ¹. Soldiers from the Old Guard have watched the tomb around the clock since 1948. Part of their job is enforcing silence and respect ².

Reminders like this are not unusual. One member of the regiment said in a 2022 Army interview that sentinels react to the crowd two or three times a day ⁴.

Why it matters

The episode came at a politically hard time for Hegseth. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, introduced articles of impeachment against him this week. The Republican-led House voted 211-204 to shelve them ¹.

Hegseth called the impeachment push "a farce and a stunt." NBC News reported that Democrats are likely to renew efforts to oust him when they become the majority party in January ¹.

That matters because the tomb is among the nation's most sacred memorials. Many veterans and military families expect visitors there to follow its rules, and the guard's rebuke was caught on video. The public medal turns an awkward moment into a show of support for the sentinel.

What happens next is not yet clear. Newsweek said it had asked the Pentagon for more comment on Thursday ³. The wire copy does not include a response from Democrats to the medal.

The Record

1. Jan 1, 1948Soldiers of the Old Guard begin a round-the-clock watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (year only given in sources) ².
2. Nov 11, 2026Spc. Thomas Iglesias tells Hegseth's group to keep silence and respect at the tomb on Veterans Day ¹.
3. Nov 12, 2026Hegseth awards Iglesias the Joint Service Commendation Medal at the Pentagon ²⁴.

Free to reprint Republish this story on your site or in your newsletter

Any site, blog or newsletter may run this story free of charge. Keep the credit line and its link to the original, do not sell it, and edit only for length or house style (the full terms). Photos carry their own licenses, noted under each photo on this page, so use the text alone unless a credit says otherwise.

<h2>Hegseth gives medal to Army sentinel who reprimanded him at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files National Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/hegseth-gives-medal-to-army-sentinel-who-reprimanded-him-at-tomb-of-the-unknown">The GOP Files</a> on Thursday, November 12, 2026.</em></p> <p>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday awarded a commendation to the Army sentinel who reprimanded him and his guests at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Veterans Day. Army Spc. Thomas Iglesias received the Joint Service Commendation Medal at the Pentagon .</p> <p>Hegseth posted photos of the presentation on X. One showed him pinning the medal to Iglesias&#39; chest .</p> <blockquote><p>We love soldiers. We love standards. Well done, Specialist.</p><p>&mdash; Pete Hegseth, Defense Secretary</p></blockquote> <h2>What happened at the tomb</h2> <p>On Wednesday, Hegseth, his wife, Jennifer, and some of his top aides were taking pictures, talking and laughing in front of the tomb at Arlington National Cemetery. Iglesias, who was guarding the site, told them to stop .</p> <blockquote><p>All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times.</p><p>&mdash; Thomas Iglesias, Army specialist, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (Old Guard)</p></blockquote> <p>Hegseth did not acknowledge the reprimand at the time. He looked over his shoulder and kept walking up a set of stairs . Video of the exchange circulated online and drew bipartisan criticism of the defense secretary, Newsweek reported .</p> <p>The group had been at the cemetery for a Veterans Day ceremony. President Trump and Vice President JD Vance attended and laid wreaths. Trump said in his speech that Hegseth had done a &quot;fantastic job&quot; .</p> <h2>The Pentagon&#39;s response</h2> <p>After the incident, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said that &quot;a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum&quot; . A Pentagon official said Hegseth hosted the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, at the Pentagon to give Iglesias the medal for &quot;the execution of his duties&quot; at the tomb on Nov. 11 .</p> <p>The Army says the medal goes to service members who have &quot;distinguished themselves by meritorious achievement or service&quot; . Soldiers from the Old Guard have watched the tomb around the clock since 1948. Part of their job is enforcing silence and respect .</p> <p>Reminders like this are not unusual. One member of the regiment said in a 2022 Army interview that sentinels react to the crowd two or three times a day .</p> <h2>Why it matters</h2> <p>The episode came at a politically hard time for Hegseth. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, introduced articles of impeachment against him this week. The Republican-led House voted 211-204 to shelve them .</p> <p>Hegseth called the impeachment push &quot;a farce and a stunt.&quot; NBC News reported that Democrats are likely to renew efforts to oust him when they become the majority party in January .</p> <p>That matters because the tomb is among the nation&#39;s most sacred memorials. Many veterans and military families expect visitors there to follow its rules, and the guard&#39;s rebuke was caught on video. The public medal turns an awkward moment into a show of support for the sentinel.</p> <p>What happens next is not yet clear. Newsweek said it had asked the Pentagon for more comment on Thursday . The wire copy does not include a response from Democrats to the medal.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/hegseth-gives-medal-to-army-sentinel-who-reprimanded-him-at-tomb-of-the-unknown">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/hegseth-gives-medal-to-army-sentinel-who-reprimanded-him-at-tomb-of-the-unknown.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

Copy the HTML Paste it into your editor's HTML view. The one-pixel image at the end tells our newsroom the story ran; it stores no reader data.

Sources

1. NBC News, “Hegseth awards medal to soldier who reprimanded him at Arlington National Cemetery” (2026-11-12). nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/hegseth-awards-med
2. The Guardian, “Pete Hegseth awards medal to soldier who reprimanded him near Tomb of the Unknown Soldier” (2026-11-12). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/12/pete-hegseth-medal-soldi
3. Newsweek, “Hegseth Awards Medal to Soldier Who Rebuked Him at Tomb of Unknown Soldier” (2026-11-12). newsweek.com/hegseth-awards-medal-to-soldier-who-rebuked-him
4. CBS News, “Hegseth awards medal to soldier who reprimanded group near tomb” (2026-11-12). cbsnews.com/news/hegseth-medal-reprimand-tomb-of-the-unknown

Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.