‘This Is Embarrassing’: Pentagon Scrambles to Bail Out Pete Hegseth After His Cringe Prayer Backfires — Then Critics Spot One Detail That Turns It Into a Full-Blown Disaster
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to fumble the ball with total confidence this week after reading what sounded like holy scripture during a Pentagon worship […] ‘This Is Embarrassing’: Pentagon Scrambles to Bail Out Pete Hegseth After His Cringe Prayer Backfires — Then Critics Spot One Detail That Turns It Into a Full-Blown Disaster
Black News 
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to fumble the ball with total confidence this week after reading what sounded like holy scripture during a Pentagon worship service, only for critics to quickly point out he was reciting dialogue made famous in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 film “Pulp Fiction.”
A solemn moment quickly turned into a fresh embarrassment, with backlash building so fast it forced the Pentagon to step in but only for online critics to say their cleanup attempt made it even worse.
During the April 15 event, Hegseth referenced what he called the “CSAR 25:17” prayer while discussing the rescue mission of an American fighter pilot stranded in Iran.
According to Defense Now, Hegseth told the assemblage that the prayer was recited by the “Sandy One” Combat Search and Rescue mission in Iran. “They call it CSAR 25:17, which I think is meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17,” the secretary said.
Here’s what Hegseth said:
“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, 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. Amen.”
The custom portion was not taken from the Bible at all. It was a military-themed rewrite of the famous monologue delivered by Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield in “Pulp Fiction” just before he kills a man in one of the movie’s most iconic scenes.
The actual King James Bible version of Ezekiel 25:17 is far shorter and 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.”
The mismatch quickly triggered mockery online.
“That’s quite an achievement. In one week, Trump mocks Jesus, Vance mocks the Pope, and Hegseth reads fake Bible quotes. Way to go, boys,” @PeterMN99 wrote on X.
“Hahaha, coming from the administration who told the Pope to stay out of politics,” @Fckd_Voter95 commented on X. “This legitimately could be an SNL skit.”
Then came the cleanup attempt.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stepped in Thursday, insisting Hegseth had shared a “custom prayer” given to him by the mission planner involved in the rescue of two downed Air Force service members in Iran.
Parnell acknowledged the wording was “obviously inspired” by “Pulp Fiction” and argued both the prayer and the movie dialogue reflected Ezekiel 25:17.
He then blasted critics, saying anyone claiming Hegseth misquoted scripture was spreading “fake news” and was “ignorant of reality.”
That explanation opened a whole new round of backlash.
“‘They call it CSAR 25:17 which I think is meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17.’ He said it was a prayer. It was not. It was dialogue created for a movie. Only one peddling fake news here is you sir,” one response read.
While another mused, “well this is embarrassing for you no one care. peter sagwig = worthless.”
“WHAT THE F*** IS A ‘CUSTOM PRAYER’ EITHER IT’S IN SCRIPTURE OR IT ISN’T….YOU CAN’T FIX STUPID,” another posted.
The attempt to invoke religious emotions is a part of Hegseth’s “proselytizing Christian campaign” in his job, according to The Washington Post.
“What appears to be happening at the Pentagon are services that basically recognize only a particular religious tradition,” Dickinson College President John E. Jones III told The Conversation. “And it’s very notable that Americans United for Separation of Church and State filed suit against both Defense Department and the Labor Department because there are similar activities that are taking place there.”
House Democrats filed six articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Wednesday, accusing the defense secretary of “high crimes and misdemeanors”, in reference to the attack on Iran without congressional authorization and deadly strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats, among other official acts, according to The Guardian.
“You choose to contort Christianity into an excuse for a life of violence. You have perverted your faith to justify murder,” @politicsforlove added. “Why is it always those who profess to be the most fervent believers in this war? They always manipulate other people to die for them.”
Kingsley Wilson, a Pentagon spokesperson, dismissed the articles of impeachment as an attention-seeking bid.
“This is just another charade in an attempt to distract the American people from the major successes we have had here at the Department of War,” She said in a statement to Axios.
