Hegseth was speaking at a religious service inside the government complex when he read the unusual prayer, first reported by the Word&Way website. The minister told the crowd that the text was given to him by the "master planner" of the mission to rescue two US Air Force crew members who were shot down over Iran.
"The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the injustices of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of comradeship and duty, leads the lost through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will come upon you with great vengeance and furious anger, upon those who seek to capture and destroy my brother. And you shall know that my call sign is Sandy 1 when I take vengeance upon you, amen," Hegseth prayed from the rostrum.
The first few lines of this “prayer” were actually written by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avery for the film Pulp Fiction. In the film, a character played by Samuel L. Jackson utters these words just before killing a petty criminal, falsely claiming that they are a biblical quote from Ezekiel 25:17.
The second part of the verse does indeed have its roots in the Bible (the condemnation of the Philistines), but Hegset's prayer altered the word "Lord" from the original text to refer to the call sign of a military unit ("Sandy 1").
War crimes charges and impeachment motion
The bizarre moment comes at a sensitive time for Hegset, who has held regular church services at the Pentagon in recent months. His speech came just after House Democrats filed an impeachment motion against him.
Nine members of parliament from the Democratic Party accused him of war crimes, abuse of office, and negligent management of the Ministry of Defense.
Congresswoman Yasmine Ansari strongly condemned his actions, stating that Hegseth "violated his oath of office, endangered American soldiers, and committed war crimes, including attacks on civilians and a girls' school in Minab, Iran."
"Only Congress can declare war; his actions require immediate removal," Ansari said.
However, given that the Republican Party holds majorities in both houses of Congress, the impeachment process is unlikely to succeed. Removal requires a simple majority in the House of Representatives, followed by a two-thirds majority in the Senate.
Interestingly, no member of a presidential cabinet in U.S. history has ever been removed by impeachment. The closest to that was Secretary of War William Belknap, who resigned before the 1876 vote.
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