US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stoked controversy after a Wednesday Pentagon prayer service, where his prayer was widely intercepted as echoing a phrase more commonly associated with a Quentin Tarantino film than with Biblical text.
Speaking to the audience about Admiral Brad Cooper, who had headed the US operations during the Iran war, he said that the army often used religious teachings to influence military decisions.
Addressing those present, he linked his remarks to what he described as a prayer shared by the leader of the recent Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) operation aimed at recovering Air Force personnel shot down in Iran. The prayer, referred to as “CSAR 2517,” was said to draw inspiration from Ezekiel 25:17 in the Bible.
However, viewers later noted that it was a word-to-word phrasing of the violent monologue delivered by actor Samuel L. Jackson in the film Pulp Fiction, written and directed by Quentin Tarantino.
What did Hegseth say?
“The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. 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 1 when I lay my vengeance upon thee, and amen.”
However, only a part of this “CSAR 2517” contained references from the Bible. Ezekiel 25:17 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”.
Meanwhile, ‘CSAR 2517’ said: “And you will know my call sign is Sandy 1 when I lay my vengeance upon thee, and amen”- replacing ‘I am the Lord’ with ‘My call name is Sandy 1”.
Hegseth’s remarks quickly spread across social media platforms, expressing mixed reactions with some saying ‘it was satirical’ while some called it ‘deeply embarrassing’.