Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's spokesperson offered a quizzical explanation for his boss's prayer on Wednesday that sounded like it was lifted from the cult classic movie "Pulp Fiction."
During a military worship event, Hegseth read from a custom "Combat Search and Rescue" (CSAR) prayer given to him by the lead mission planner, The Daily Beast reported. Analysts and observers were quick to point out that the prayer sounded similar to the well-known "great vengeance and furious anger" monologue that Samuel L. Jackson performs as Jules Winnfield in the movie, which was inspired by the Bible verse Ezekiel 25:17.
“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, shepherds the lost through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children,” Hegseth said, according to the report.
In the movie, Jackson's character says, "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and goodwill, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children."
Sean Parnell, Hegseth's spokesperson, said in a post on X that Hegseth's prayer was "obviously inspired by dialogue in Pulp Fiction."
"Secretary Hegseth on Wednesday shared a custom prayer, referenced as the CSAR prayer, used by the brave warfighters of Sandy-1 who led the daylight rescue mission of Dude 44 Alpha out of Iran, which was obviously inspired by dialogue in Pulp Fiction," Parnell wrote.
"However, both the CSAR prayer and the dialogue in Pulp Fiction were reflections of the verse Ezekiel 25:17, as Secretary Hegseth clearly said in his remarks at the prayer service," he added. "Anyone saying the Secretary misquoted Ezekiel 25:17 is peddling fake news and ignorant of reality."
