USAupdated 50m ago2 min read
MapPete Hegseth Awards Joint Service Commendation Medal to Spc. Thomas Iglesias
“his awarding of a medal as a superficial PR stunt.”
“The Pentagon's top spokesman praised the soldier for doing his job after ABC News asked about the incident on Wednesday.”
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL · Cropped for layout
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Specialist Thomas Iglesias admonished Pete Hegseth's group at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Hegseth awarded Iglesias the Joint Service Commendation Medal.
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Medal After Arlington Scolding
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth awarded a Joint Service Commendation Medal to Spc. Thomas Iglesias after Iglesias admonished Hegseth and his group for laughing while they took photos at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
Hegseth posted photos on social media showing him pinning the medal on Iglesias' chest and shaking his hand, and the Pentagon said the award was for the “execution of his duties at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on November 11, 2026.”
Iglesias served as a sentinel at the tomb and issued a command after someone laughed as the group broke up following a Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony that included President Donald Trump.
Iglesias called out, “All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times,” and Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell later praised the soldier for correctly and respectfully reminding everyone to maintain decorum.
What the Video Showed
The incident began after a group photo at the Tomb of the Unknowns, when a sentinel barked a standard phrase to be silent to a group that included Hegseth after they posed for a photo following a Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony that included President Donald Trump. ABC News described video showing Hegseth, his wife Jennifer and other officials posing for a photo on the steps in front of the tomb area, and the footage captured someone laughing as the group broke up.
The Pentagon’s top spokesman, Sean Parnell, told ABC News that “While commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum.” AP News added that Hegseth posted photos on Thursday and that the Pentagon said Iglesias reprimanded Hegseth and a group of his staffers when a loud laugh was heard after they took photos at the site following a ceremony that included President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Broader Political Fallout
AP News connected the reprimand to renewed attention on Hegseth, noting that the scolding drew attention once more to the “embattled defense secretary” after he “survived an impeachment attempt the day before.”
AP News also said the impeachment effort was led by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and backed by Democrats, and it reported that Republicans may have only delayed a bid to impeach him.
AP News reported that Democrats were set to take control of the House and Senate in January, and it said those efforts were likely to be renewed.
Hegseth, in his first news conference in months, argued that he had committed none of the high crimes required in the Constitution for his removal and framed the effort as sabotage, saying, “This is sabotage.”