Hegseth awards medal to guard who scolded him at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Hegseth presented the Joint Service Commendation Medal to Spc. Thomas Iglesias a day after soldier asked him and his guests to maintain “atmospheric silence and respect.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth awarded the soldier who reprimanded him and his aides at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with the Joint Service Commendation Medal.

In a post on X, Hegseth shared a photo pinning the award on Spc. Thomas Iglesias and wrote, “We love soldiers. We love standards. Well done, Specialist.”

A day earlier, Hegseth had been attending a Veterans Day ceremony during which President Donald Trump laid a wreath in honor of fallen soldiers. Video shows Hegseth taking photos on the empty steps in front of the tomb with his wife Jennifer and some of the secretary’s top aides.

As the group broke from taking photos, a loud laugh 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 to be one of the most solemn and revered war memorials in the U.S., being the final resting place of unidentified soldiers from World War I, World War II and the Korean War. It has been guarded around the clock — 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 Hegseth welcomed the soldiers of the Old Guard to the Pentagon and awarded the Iglesias the Joint Service Commendation Medal “for the execution of his duties at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on November 11, 2026.”

The Joint Service Commendation Medal is considered to be one of the higher awards in the military and isn’t typically issued to junior enlisted service members.