A soldier guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier issued a verbal reprimand to a group of advisers and staffers with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
Video shows Hegseth taking photos on the empty steps in front of the tomb with his wife, Jennifer, chief of staff Ricky Buria, deputy chief of staff Patrick Weaver and senior adviser Tami Radabaugh.
As the group broke from taking photos, a loud laugh could be heard, and the soldier guarding the tomb shouted that “all visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times.”
It may sound ridiculous to a lot of you, but I get emotional when I think about the seriousness these folks take to respect and honor our dead in this way. There’s a lot to be said about the uselessness of war and the many, many failures of the US government, but the fact that everything is put aside to show the maximum amount of respect is a beautiful thing.