The secretary of war evoked a scene from the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film in which Samuel L. Jackson recites his take on a Bible verse before shooting a man.

Pentagon defends Pete Hegseth using Pulp Fiction monologue as prayer at worship service

The secretary of war evoked a scene from the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film in which Samuel L. Jackson recites his take on a Bible verse before shooting a man.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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April 16, 2026 5:30 p.m. ET

Pete Hegseth; John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in 'Pulp Fiction'. Credit:

Andrew Harnik/Getty; Miramax/Courtesy Everett

- The Pentagon is speaking out after Pete Hegseth quoted *Pulp Fiction *during a worship service.

- The secretary of war used a monologue from the 1994 film that Samuel L. Jackson's character recites before he shoots a man.

- "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," said the Pentagon spokesperson.

The Pentagon is defending Pete Hegseth's use of a *Pulp Fiction* monologue during a worship service on Wednesday.

The secretary of war said he was citing a prayer that the lead planner of the Combat Search and Rescue operation shared with him following a mission earlier this month to rescue a U.S. Air Force airman trapped in Iran. They called it CSAR 25:17, likening it to the Bible verse Ezekiel 25:17. While evoking the Gospel, however, Hegseth also ended up quoting Samuel L. Jackson's Jules Winnfield, specifically his monologue from a scene in the 1994 film in which he shoots another character.

"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*," Sean Parnell, assistant to the secretary of war for public affairs and chief Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement on X.

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He continued, "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. Anyone saying the Secretary misquoted Ezekiel 25:17 is peddling fake news and ignorant of reality."

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at a press briefing at the Pentagon on April 16, 2026.

Alex Wong/Getty

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."

During the worship service, Hegseth said, reciting CSAR 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, 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 One when I lay my vengeance upon thee. And amen."

The secretary of war changed the actual Bible verse slightly, saying, "My call sign is Sandy One" — the name of the rescue mission — instead of "I am the Lord."**

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According to the book of Quentin Tarantino, Jackson's Jules quotes Ezekeil 25:17 — "There's this passage I got memorized. Seems appropriate for this situation," the character says in the movie — but only at the very end of his monologue.**

John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in 1994's 'Pulp Fiction'. Miramax Films

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men," Jules recites. "Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak 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 poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you."**

Jackson reflected on how *Pulp Fiction* changed his life "drastically" at the 15th annual TCM Classic Film Festival in April 2024. "This was the particular role that all of a sudden people started thinking I was the coolest motherf---er on the planet," he said. "So, I'm happy with that."

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Source: “EW Movies”