Hegseth awards medal to soldier who chastised him
Pete Hegseth was yelled at by a sentinel for poor decorum at Arlington National Cemetery. Now the Secretary of Defense has given him a medal.
Noticia publicada originalmente por NPR — News en npr.org (se abre en una pestaña nueva). Minuto 24 no es autor de este contenido.
Claves de la noticia
- El secretario de Defensa de Estados Unidos, Pete Hegseth, condecoró el jueves al soldado que lo reprendió en público durante una visita a la Tumba del Soldado Desconocido.
- La reprimenda ocurrió el miércoles, Día de los Veteranos, cuando alguien del grupo de Hegseth rio en voz alta durante la ofrenda floral en el Cementerio Nacional de Arlington.
- Un sargento de guardia gritó que los visitantes debían mantener silencio y respeto, y el video se difundió ampliamente en redes sociales.
- El incidente llegó un día después de que el representante Thomas Massie presentara una resolución para destituir a Hegseth, que no prosperó al votar en contra el resto de republicanos.
- Hegseth entregó al especialista Thomas Iglesias la Medalla de Comendación del Servicio Conjunto en el Pentágono y escribió: "Well done, Specialist".
Contexto
Pete Hegseth es secretario de Defensa de Estados Unidos, cargo desde el que dirige el Pentágono y las fuerzas armadas. Su situación era delicada tras las elecciones de mitad de mandato, en las que los republicanos sufrieron un revés, y por su respaldo a la guerra con Irán, que según el artículo resultó impopular entre los votantes. La Tumba del Soldado Desconocido, en el Cementerio Nacional de Arlington, cerca de Washington, es uno de los lugares más simbólicos del país para honrar a los militares caídos. Por eso el episodio generó críticas tanto de legisladores demócratas como de exlegisladores republicanos. La noticia es relevante porque muestra cómo un altercado puntual puede convertirse en una disputa pública sobre el liderazgo de un alto funcionario.
Resumen elaborado por Minuto 24 con ayuda de inteligencia artificial a partir de la noticia publicada por NPR — News. Puede contener imprecisiones: ante cualquier duda, consulta la fuente original.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, right, and his wife Jennifer Rauchet attend a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on National Veterans Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. Mark Schiefelbein/AP hide caption
Coming out of the bruising the Republicans suffered in the midterms, this week was bearing up to be a bad one for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Many thought he'd be the first in the administration to be fired for his support of the Iran war, which proved unpopular with voters.
Then a member of his own party called for a vote to impeach him and, in an embarrassing incident that went viral, he also got chastised for poor decorum when visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Still, he managed to survive the former – except for Thomas Massie, who sponsored the resolution to impeach him, all other Republicans in the House voted against it – and sought to turn the latter into a PR opportunity.
The day after the impeachment effort, an incident occurred at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, one of America's most sacred military sites. It happened when Hegseth, his wife, and staffers went to lay a wreath at the memorial just outside Washington D.C., to mark Veteran's Day on Wednesday.
Someone in the defense secretary's group laughed loudly, prompting a sentinel on duty at Arlington National Cemetery to shout: "All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times!"
As the video spread on social media, there was a flurry of condemnation online, with some dubbing Hegseth "the secretary of offense."
Political opponents, including Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), as well as former GOP congressman Adam Kinzinger, criticized Hegseth and his group.
"Pete Hegseth continues to demonstrate his utter lack of fitness for his office," said Moore on X. "One day after narrowly avoiding impeachment, he shows his contempt for our men and women in uniform by disrespecting the sanctity of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier."
On Thursday, the embattled Defense secretary tried to regain control of the narrative. He invited the soldier who bellowed at him, Spc. Thomas Iglesias, to the Pentagon, where he honored him with the "Joint Service Commendation Medal for the execution of his duties at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on November 11, 2026."
"We love soldiers. We love standards. Well done, Specialist," Hegseth wrote. "Carry on Patriots."
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