American War Secretary Pete Hegseth bestowed the Joint Service Commendation Medal, an award that is not usually granted to low-ranking army recruits, on Army Specialist Thomas Iglesias after Iglesias criticized Hegseth and his team for making noise and taking photographs around the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in violation of protocol on Veterans Day. In social media, Hegseth commended Iglesias for upholding the standards of the army, in light of an official statement from the Pentagon that Iglesias did the right thing in reminding the group about the need to be respectful inside the memorial site. This follows the recent survival of the Republican Secretary against an impeachment bid orchestrated by Democrat Thomas Massie, who is a Republican representative himself.