A prayer delivered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on Wednesday (April 15) included a passage that closely mirrored a line from the film Pulp Fiction, rather than the Bible verse it referenced.
While giving a worship sermon at the Pentagon on Wednesday, Hegseth recounted a prayer he claimed was shared with him by the lead planner of the Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) operation, according to USA Today.
"They call it CSAR 25:17, which I think is meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17," Hegseth said during the sermon.
"The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men," Hegseth prayed. "Blessed is he who, in the name of camaraderie and duty, shepherd the lost through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother. And you will know my call sign is Sandy One when I lay my vengeance upon thee, and amen."
Despite resembling scripture, the final line appears to be only partially based on the actual Bible verse, found in Ezekiel 25:17, which reads, "And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them."
The line “my call sign is Sandy One" does not appear at all in scripture; instead, it reads "I am the Lord.” The verse cited by Hegseth seems to be drawn directly from the fictionalized version of Ezekiel 25:17 spoken by Samuel L. Jackson's character, Jules Winnfield, in "Pulp Fiction,” right before killing another character.
Reactions to the video on X likened the moment to satire, with one user calling it “a shocking mix of ignorance and theatrics” and stating, “The Pentagon deserves seriousness, not Hollywood cosplay.”
“Coming from the administration who told the Pope to stay out of politics. This legitimately could be an SNL skit,” another user wrote.
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