Hegseth rewards war memorial guard who scolded him at Arlington Cemetery – NBC4 Washington
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth awarded the soldier who berated him and his aides at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier the Joint Service Commendation Medal.
In an article on X, Hegseth shared a photo pinning the award on Spc. Thomas Iglesias and wrote: “We love soldiers. We love standards. Well done, specialist.”
The day before, Hegseth attended a Veterans Day ceremony where President Donald Trump laid a wreath in honor of fallen soldiers. The video shows Hegseth taking photos on the empty steps in front of the grave with his wife Jennifer and some of the secretary’s top aides.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth via
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth via Hegseth welcomed members of the Old Guard to the Pentagon on Wednesday and rewarded Iglesias for carrying out his duties at the Tomb.
As the group stopped taking photos, loud laughter could be heard and Iglesias issued a verbal reprimand that “all visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times.”
The tomb is considered one of the most solemn and revered war memorials in the United States, being the final resting place of unidentified soldiers from World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. It has been guarded 24 hours a day, rain or shine, by a soldier from the Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, also known as “The Old Guard”, since 1948.
A Pentagon official told NBC News that Hegseth welcomed the Old Guard soldiers to the Pentagon and awarded Iglesias the Joint Service Commendation Medal “for the performance of his duties at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on November 11, 2026.”
The Joint Service Commendation Medal is considered one of the highest awards in the military and is not typically awarded to junior enlisted personnel.
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