Hegseth recites ‘Pulp Fiction’ speech at Pentagon prayer service
WASHINGTON— Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, leading a prayer meeting at the Pentagon, quoted a fictional Bible verse taken from a violent monologue in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 film “Pulp Fiction,” first voiced by actor Samuel L. Jackson just before his character shoots a helpless man to death.
Secretary used prayer Framing the war in Iran as an act of divine justice is the same justification Jackson’s character gives earlier in the film pull the trigger.
Hegseth told the audience at the monthly Pentagon prayer ceremony Wednesday that he learned the prayer from the lead mission planner of the “Sandy 1” team that recently rescued downed Air Force crews in Iran.
Hegseth said this verse is often recited by combat search-and-rescue teams, and they call the prayer “CSAR 25:17, which I think mirrors Ezekiel 25:17 from the Bible.”
“And with great vengeance and furious fury will I strike down those who try to capture and destroy my brother,” Hegseth read. “And when I get my revenge on you, you’ll know my call sign is Sandy 1.”
The famous Ezekiel 25:17 speech in “Pulp Fiction” is almost entirely the work of a screenwriter; only the final chorus is loosely inspired by the actual Bible verse. Much of the monologue in Tarantino’s film is adapted from the opening of the 1976 Japanese martial arts film “The Bodyguard,” starring action star Sonny Chiba.
Hegseth’s one-minute prayer closely followed these texts; only the last two lines resembled biblical language. In Hegseth’s version, he replaced the phrase “and they will know that I am the Lord” from the book of Ezekiel with the call sign of a US A-10 Warthog aircraft.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said some outlets accused Hegseth of mistaking Jackson’s Golden Globe-winning performance for actual scripture and called the narrative “fake news.”
“Secretary Hegseth on Wednesday shared a special prayer called the CSAR prayer, clearly inspired by the dialogue in Pulp Fiction, used by the brave warriors of Sandy-1 who led Dude 44 Alpha’s daytime rescue mission out of Iran.” Parnell wrote on X. “However, both the CSAR prayer and the dialogue in Pulp Fiction were reflections of Ezekiel 25:17, as Secretary Hegseth made clear in his speech at the prayer service. Anyone who says the Secretary misquoted Ezekiel 25:17 is selling fake news and is ignorant of the truth.”
Hegseth has frequently used prayer sessions to call for violence in the ongoing Iranian war. In his sermon last month, he asked God to “give this task force clear and accurate targets for violence.”
A senior defense analyst with knowledge of Pentagon operations told The Times that these services are not mandatory, but some people who work closely with Hegseth’s office feel “implicit pressure” to participate and “fill the seats.”
Some think the effect is less attention to the Pentagon’s wartime efforts and more focus on promoting political demonstrations, according to the source, who was not authorized to speak to the media and asked not to be named.
“We have managers and leaders who miss critical work to listen to ‘Pulp Fiction’ quotes,” the source said. “It delays our ability to make operational, mission-related war-fighting decisions.”
The prayer comes amid an ongoing conflict between the Trump administration and Pope Leo XIV, who has spoken out against the US-Israeli war in Iran in recent weeks. The statements from the Vatican were met with a series of retaliation from President Trump, who said he “did not want a pope” who criticized the US president.
On Thursday, the pope issued a declaration against military leaders who conflate war with divinity.
“Woe to those who manipulate religion and the name of Allah for their own military, economic and political interests, dragging the sacred into darkness and filth,” he said.
