Probably not the place for a Tarantino line
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is copping heat this week after delivering a prayer at the Pentagon that felt… oddly familiar.
During a Christian worship service on April 15, Hegseth recited what he framed as a “battlefield prayer” used by combat search-and-rescue teams – referring to it as “CSAR 25:17.”
The problem? Large chunks of it closely mirror the iconic “Ezekiel 25:17” speech from Pulp Fiction, delivered by Samuel L. Jackson’s character Jules Winnfield.
If you’ve seen the film, you already know the one – “the path of the righteous man is beset on all sides…” – except Hegseth’s version swapped in military language about “downed aviators” and call signs, while keeping the same dramatic bones.
Here’s where it gets messy. The speech in Pulp Fiction isn’t actually biblical. It riffs loosely on Book of Ezekiel 25:17, but most of the wording was written by Quentin Tarantino, pulling inspiration from older martial arts films.
The real verse is much shorter – and a lot less cinematic.
Still, Hegseth presented the adapted version in a formal Pentagon setting, which is what’s raised eyebrows.
Critics were quick to call it out, labelling the moment everything from “deeply weird” to “theological malpractice.”
The main gripe isn’t just the movie reference – it’s the blending of Hollywood dialogue with an official religious service tied to the US military.
The Pentagon has pushed back. Press Secretary Sean Parnell said Hegseth was aware the prayer wasn’t a direct Bible quote, describing it instead as a “custom” tradition used by A-10 Warthog crews (who use the call sign “Sandy”).
In that framing, it’s less scripture and more a ritualistic military morale booster.
And that’s kind of where this lands. Depending on your read, it’s either a knowing nod to soldier culture or a slightly surreal moment where pop culture slipped into a place it maybe shouldn’t have.
Either way, it’s a reminder of how blurred the line between myth, media, and meaning can get – especially when the source material is a Tarantino script from 1994.
