Soldier scolds Hegseth for laughing at Tomb of Unknown Soldier | Gravitas

While an effort to impeach him narrowly failed, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is still hanging on by a thread.

Amid this, Hegseth, his wife and senior advisors were admonished by a U.S. soldier for breaking decorum.

Hegseth was attending the annual Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery.

While posing for photos in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Hegseth and his entourage were seen laughing and talking loudly. At this juncture, the on-duty soldier stepped in to reprimand them.

Why does this matter?

This tomb is one of America's most sacred war memorials. It marks the final resting place of an unknown soldier who was killed in World War I.

According to the cemetery's rules, visitors must speak quietly and not engage in disrespectful conduct.

Now, if we look at Hegseth's track record, he has often faced scrutiny for his public demeanour since taking over as the secretary of war. His tenure has seen a return to more traditional ideas of masculinity.

In May, Hegseth came under lens for joining a high-intensity physical training session aboard USS Boxer.

It included push-ups, jumping jacks, squats and mobility drills.

A month later, the U.S. Department of War posted a workout video featuring Hegseth lifting weights alongside U.S. troops.

However, some fitness experts described the workout video as 'performative' and a 'terrible example' for those hoping to learn how to do these exercises correctly.

Apart from this, the U.S. secretary of war has rejected what he calls as 'wokeness' in the American military.

His tenure has seen a rollback of policies designed to promote diversity in the armed forces.

Earlier this week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 211 to 204 in favour of a motion to refer the impeachment charges against Hegseth to the Republican-led house judiciary committee.

This effectively foiled Republican lawmaker Thomas Massie's bid to impeach Hegseth.

Massie's resolution largely focused on the Iran war but also included references to Hegseth's role in carrying out military actions in Venezuela.

However, with Democrats set to take control of the House of Representatives and Senate in January, Hegseth may again face an impeachment vote next year.

Already, multiple Democrat lawmakers, including Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer have openly called for Hegseth's impeachment.