US War Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Americans to pray daily for Armed Forces members in harm's way during a press briefing on Iran. CBS anchor Margaret Brennan criticized the remarks for invoking Jesus' name and accused the administration of using religious references to justify war. Historical precedents show similar calls for prayer by past leaders.
Pete Hegseth, referred to as War Secretary, closed a Thursday morning press briefing on Iran by asking the public to pray for US troops. He stated, “Please pray for them, every day, on bended knee, with your family, in your schools, in your churches, in the name of Jesus Christ.” Hegseth described the Iranian regime’s strategy as “a violent, messianic Islamist ideology chasing some sort of apocalyptic endgame.” Margaret Brennan, anchor of CBS’s “Face the Nation,” responded critically, saying, “The Secretary of Defense tells the American public to pray for our troops on bended knee and invoke Jesus’ name …” She further accused the administration of employing “religious references as justification for war.” The article highlights that such invocations are not new. On June 6, 1944, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt broadcast a prayer for Allied forces invading Normandy beaches, urging continuous prayer: “Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor... Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.” Roosevelt called for ongoing prayer rather than a single day. In December 1944, General George S. Patton requested a prayer for good weather from Chaplain James H. O’Neill ahead of the Battle of Bastogne. Patton said, “Chaplain, I want you to publish a prayer for good weather. I’m tired of these soldiers having to fight mud and floods as well as Germans.” The prayer was distributed to troops, seeking fair weather to “advance from victory to victory.” Patton emphasized prayer's power, calling God the “margin” in battle. President Dwight D. Eisenhower prayed privately before his 1953 inauguration for discernment and unity across political beliefs. Accounts of General George Washington praying at Valley Forge persist, though unconfirmed, depicting him in solitude during the harsh winter near Philadelphia.
