Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and a group that included his wife were admonished by a military guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Wednesday after laughter broke out near the solemn memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.

In footage captured by the White House press pool, Hegseth, along with his wife, Jennifer, and several others, can be seen posing for photographs near the tomb shortly after President Donald Trump delivered remarks at the cemetery as part of Veterans Day commemorations and left the grounds.

As the group finished posing for photos and began walking away, laughter was heard near the tomb. A sentinel guarding the tomb then shouted the reminder of the cemetery’s strict rules of conduct.

“All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times,” the sentinel yelled.

It was not immediately clear who in the group was laughing.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is one of the nation’s most sacred military memorials, honoring unidentified American service members who died in combat. It is guarded around the clock by soldiers from the Army’s 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, nicknamed “The Old Guard.”

Visitors are expected to maintain silence and show respect while near the tomb, where sentinels conduct a highly choreographed changing of the guard.

The incident happened a day after Pentagon security officials threatened to physically remove reporters from Hegseth’s first news conference in six months if they failed to maintain decorum or behaved unprofessionally. Journalists pressed officials on what conduct could warrant removal but received little clarification. No reporters were removed.

Later that day, Hegseth survived an impeachment effort led by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who accused the defense secretary of misconduct in his handling of the war in Iran and other military operations.

The House voted 211-204 to send the impeachment resolution to committee, effectively killing the measure. Despite the mounting scrutiny, Trump has supported Hegseth, telling reporters Monday, “I’ll stand by him.”

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