Pentagon Backs Guard Who Rebuked Hegseth Group at 24-Hour Tomb Watch

Q: How do the elite sentinels of the Tomb handle high-ranking visitors who disrupt their solemn watch?

They handle even the highest-ranking visitors the same way they handle everyone else: by immediately and publicly enforcing the Tomb’s strict rules of silence and respect. At Arlington’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, sentinels from the Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, known as The Old Guard, are trained to interrupt their watch if needed and issue a formal verbal command when visitors become loud or act casually. In the Hegseth incident, the guard stepped forward and called out, “All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times.” The Pentagon later said the soldier acted “correctly and respectfully.” That response was not treated as unusual. Reporting cited by CBS and other outlets said Tomb sentinels remind visitors of the rules several times a day. Former and current guards have said most disruptions are not deliberate, but the standard is enforced uniformly because the site is considered one of the nation’s most sacred military memorials. The sentinels’ authority rests on long-standing ceremonial protocol. The Tomb has been guarded continuously for decades, and the guards are expected to preserve absolute decorum regardless of who is present, including senior officials, dignitaries or members of the public. In practice, that means rank does not exempt anyone from correction if they disturb the solemn atmosphere.

3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Nov 12

Sean Parnell said the Pentagon backed an Army sentinel who "correctly and respectfully" ordered silence after Pete Hegseth, his wife and advisers were seen laughing, talking and posing for photos at Arlington.
Video from Wednesday's Veterans Day observance showed the guard stepping toward the group at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and shouting that all visitors must maintain "an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times."
Arlington's rules ask visitors to speak quietly and avoid disrespectful conduct at the memorial, where the unknown World War I soldier is buried and the 3rd Infantry Regiment has kept a 24-hour watch since 1948.
The episode came hours after Donald Trump praised Hegseth at the cemetery and a day after House impeachment efforts against the defense secretary over the Iran war failed.