Updated

Updated · CNN · Nov 12

Hegseth Awards Medal to Soldier Who Corrected Him at Tomb of Unknown Soldier on Nov. 11

Updated

Updated · CNN · Nov 12

Hegseth Awards Medal to Soldier Who Corrected Him at Tomb of Unknown Soldier on Nov. 11

Q: Why did a strict reprimand at Arlington Cemetery earn an Army Specialist a prestigious military medal?

Army Spc. Iglesias was decorated because he did exactly what his job required at one of the nation’s most sacred military sites: he enforced silence and respect at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, even when the visitors included the defense secretary and senior Pentagon aides. During a Veterans Day visit to Arlington National Cemetery, Pete Hegseth, his wife and several staff members were taking photos near the tomb when laughter and conversation were heard. Iglesias, a sentinel with the Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, The Old Guard, halted his patrol and gave the standard warning that all visitors must maintain “an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times.” Pentagon officials said the key reason for the award was not the reprimand itself, but the way Iglesias carried out his duty: correctly, firmly and respectfully, without making exceptions for rank or prominence. Hegseth later awarded him the Joint Service Commendation Medal for the “execution of his duties,” signaling that the military wanted to recognize professionalism and adherence to standards. That matters because Tomb sentinels are entrusted with protecting the dignity of a memorial dedicated to unidentified American war dead. The post is governed by strict ceremonial rules, and guards are expected to correct any breach of decorum. By doing so in a disciplined and impartial way, Iglesias upheld the tradition of The Old Guard and the solemn purpose of the tomb.

3 articles · Updated · CNN · Nov 12

A Joint Service Commendation Medal went to Specialist Iglesias after he publicly ordered Pete Hegseth and his entourage to keep silence at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The reprimand came after Veterans Day photos at Arlington National Cemetery, when Hegseth, his wife and senior aides were heard laughing and chatting near the memorial.
Sean Parnell, the Pentagon's chief spokesman, said Iglesias "correctly and respectfully" enforced decorum, while Hegseth posted that the soldier upheld standards and did his duty well.
The Tomb is guarded around the clock by the 3rd Infantry Regiment's Old Guard, whose sentinels are expected to correct noisy visitors at the site.