Changes

Buttigieg participated in protests against the war in Iraq while  was at Harvard. As a politically -minded person, Buttigieg  stated that he decided to sign up for the Navy Reserves in 2009 after being sent to knock on doors in canvassing in Iowa for Barack Obama in 2008 and many of the people who answered were in the armed forces. Buttigieg  also thinks that America may have never had gone to war in Iraq if more elected officials had served or had family members in the military.<ref>The Washington Post, March 10, 2014[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/03/10/the-most-interesting-mayor-youve-never-heard-of/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.28cc464bd61e]The most interesting mayor you’ve never heard of</ref>

Buttigieg participated in protests against the war in Iraq while  was at Harvard. As a politically -minded person, Buttigieg  stated that he decided to sign up for the Navy Reserves in 2009 after being sent to knock on doors in canvassing in Iowa for Barack Obama in 2008 and many of the people who answered were in the armed forces. Buttigieg  also thinks that America may have never had gone to war in Iraq if more elected officials had served or had family members in the military.<ref>The Washington Post, March 10, 2014[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/03/10/the-most-interesting-mayor-youve-never-heard-of/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.28cc464bd61e]The most interesting mayor you’ve never heard of</ref>

Buttigieg began serving in the U.S. Navy Reserve in 2009 and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014<ref>https://www.axios.com/pete-buttigieg-2020-presidential-election-factsheet-indiana-mayor-020c5afc-c8a2-4691-940c-b271e63306b1.html</ref> for 6 months, having volunteered for an overseas deployment as a intelligence officer, which service he describes as dangerous.  Buttigieg  was part  of a unit assigned to identify and disrupt terrorist finance networks, mainly a desk job, but which sometimes involved being an armed driver.  Buttigieg  invokes his military service at nearly every campaign stop,  using it as both a sword and a shield in his campaigning. <ref>CNN,  Turner Broadcasting System, May 17, 2019 [https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/17/politics/buttigieg-military-service-2020/index.html]Buttigieg wields his military credentials: 'It's not like I killed Bin Laden,' but it was dangerous</ref> He stated that he approached military service ethically and morally  by telling himself at the time was that there are cases where violence is necessary in order to prevent greater violence. However,  as regards  experiencing  any injury as a consequence of having been to Afghanistan, he said that  it was not from moments when he was afraid of being killed, as much as it was from moments when he may have participated in killing. Over time he began to realize that was the part he  was having the hardest time coming to terms with.  He added as regards what people in the military are  asked to do,  "I don't think we've really reckoned with the moral weight of what we're asking them to do -- not just in terms of the physical risks they take but the moral harm that we're asking them to go through."<ref>CNN,  Turner Broadcasting System, April 2, 2019 [https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/02/opinions/buttigieg-and-religion-qa-beck/index.html]Pete Buttigieg on faith, his marriage and Mike Pence</ref>

Buttigieg began serving in the U.S. Navy Reserve in 2009 and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2014<ref>https://www.axios.com/pete-buttigieg-2020-presidential-election-factsheet-indiana-mayor-020c5afc-c8a2-4691-940c-b271e63306b1.html</ref> for 6 months, having volunteered for an overseas deployment as a intelligence officer and having reached the rank of lieutenant.  Buttigieg had previously become  acquainted with Afghanistan as a civilian adviser at  McKinsey & Company of Chicago and preferred that location as an overseas assignment.  Buttigieg served in the Afghanistan Threat Finance Cell (ATFC) in Kabul, placing him in “an imminent danger pay area” from late March to mid-September 2014.  Buttigieg  was part  of a unit assigned to identify and disrupt terrorist finance networks, mainly a desk job, but he  wrote that while he expected to spend the bulk of his time as an intelligence analyst “behind a sophisticated computer terminal in a secure area,”  yet  he states that he went “outside the wire” 119 times  leaving the relative safety of the base as a vehicle commander on convoy security detail in dangerous parts of Kabul as an armed driver. However, apparently  he did not engage in direct combat, which would have earned him a Navy combat ribbon. Military officials state that Buttigieg received standard medals and decorations for a member who served overseas in the war on terror, such as the Afghanistan Campaign Medal for service in a combat zone, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Overseas Service Ribbon, and citations for rifle and pistol marksmanship.<ref>The Hill,  News Communications, Inc.. 05/05/19 [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/442082-documents-provide-glimpse-into-buttigiegs-military-service]Documents provide glimpse into Buttigieg's military service</ref> Buttigieg  invokes his military service at nearly every campaign stop,  using it as both a sword and a shield in his campaigning. <ref>CNN,  Turner Broadcasting System, May 17, 2019 [https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/17/politics/buttigieg-military-service-2020/index.html]Buttigieg wields his military credentials: 'It's not like I killed Bin Laden,' but it was dangerous</ref>  

 

Buttigieg stated that he approached military service ethically and morally  by telling himself at the time was that there are cases where violence is necessary in order to prevent greater violence. However,  as regards  experiencing  any injury as a consequence of having been to Afghanistan, he said that  it was not from moments when he was afraid of being killed, as much as it was from moments when he may have participated in killing. Over time he began to realize that was the part he  was having the hardest time coming to terms with.  He added as regards what people in the military are  asked to do,  "I don't think we've really reckoned with the moral weight of what we're asking them to do -- not just in terms of the physical risks they take but the moral harm that we're asking them to go through."<ref>CNN,  Turner Broadcasting System, April 2, 2019 [https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/02/opinions/buttigieg-and-religion-qa-beck/index.html]Pete Buttigieg on faith, his marriage and Mike Pence</ref>

Buttigieg expressed that he believed President Trump  faked a disability to get out of serving in the military, and  attacked him for pardons like that for US Army officer Michael Behenna, who was convicted of killing an Iraqi prisoner, stating pardons  like that are "disgusting." However, Buttigieg  defended athletes who choose to kneel in protest during the national anthem, stating that freedom to do that was somethings that he put his life on the line to defend.<ref>CNN, May 23, 2019 [https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/23/politics/pete-buttigieg-national-anthem-defense/index.html]Pete Buttigieg reflects on his military service in defense of national anthem protests </ref>

Buttigieg expressed that he believed President Trump  faked a disability to get out of serving in the military, and  attacked him for pardons like that for US Army officer Michael Behenna, who was convicted of killing an Iraqi prisoner, stating pardons  like that are "disgusting." However, Buttigieg  defended athletes who choose to kneel in protest during the national anthem, stating that freedom to do that was somethings that he put his life on the line to defend.<ref>CNN, May 23, 2019 [https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/23/politics/pete-buttigieg-national-anthem-defense/index.html]Pete Buttigieg reflects on his military service in defense of national anthem protests </ref>