Pentagon prayer service features Pulp Fiction quote as scripture

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth quoted a passage from Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film "Pulp Fiction" as scripture during a prayer service at the Pentagon on Wednesday.

Hegseth introduced the passage while discussing a combat search and rescue mission that recovered a downed U.S. Air Force airman in Iran this month. He stated that the prayer was recited by Sandy 1, one of the U.S. Air Force Combat Search and Rescue teams involved in the operation.

"This prayer was recited by Sandy 1, which is one of the Sandies, to all Sandies, all those A-10 crews, prior to all CSAR missions, but especially this CSAR mission, which happened in real time," Hegseth said.

Hegseth attributed the prayer to what he called "CSAR 25:17," saying he believed it was meant to reflect the biblical book of Ezekiel 25:17. He then asked the assembled crowd to join him in prayer.

The passage Hegseth recited reads: "The path of the downed aviator 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 camaraderie and duty shepherds the lost through the valley of darkness."

The text is drawn from the iconic monologue delivered by the character Jules Winnfield, played by Samuel L. Jackson, in "Pulp Fiction." In the film, the hitman recites a modified version of Ezekiel 25:17 before committing violence against his targets. The actual biblical verse differs substantially from Tarantino's rendering.

The incident was flagged by A Public Witness, a religion-focused publication, drawing attention to the use of the film dialogue in an official Pentagon prayer service.