A recent column in the Wall Street Journal characterized Pete Buttigieg’s military service as a half-effort.
After all, Buttigieg’s 2009-2017 stint in the Navy Reserves included only seven months in Afghanistan and he never was involved in active combat.
According to co-columnists Greg Kelly, a former pilot for the Marine Corps, and Katie Horgan, also a Marine who was deployed to Iraq, Buttigieg, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination, hardly qualifies as a veteran.
The two also berate Buttigieg for taking “a shortcut” in becoming a commissioned officer.
Seems Buttigieg’s background as a Rhodes scholar and whiz kid at the global management firm of McKinsey & Co., caught the attention of higher-ups who put him on the fast track for the direct-commission officers program, bypassing the more traditional routes.
In short order, the 32-year-old Buttigieg was working in Navy intelligence with a mission to disrupt the flow of money among terrorist organizations as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The WSJ contributors refer to Buttigieg’s efforts as “paperwork.”
IN OUR VIEW, anyone who volunteers for military service deserves credit — no matter their responsibility.
Trying to take Buttigieg down a peg because his service was primarily behind a desk is not only a cheap shot but also an insult to the thousands of others who serve in similar capacities. Like Pete, they served their country and as such should be accorded the same respect as those who saw active combat.
LESS THAN two months ago, the U.S. appeared posed on the brink of war with Iran when President Donald Trump alleged we were under “imminent threat,” though the facts have yet to bear that out.
The United States has been at war in the Middle East for almost 20 years, where we’ve invested millions of dollars and lost thousands of lives.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of Buttigieg’s service is the insight it’s given him of the role of the United States as a defender of peace and how fragile that hard-earned respect is.
Buttigieg’s critics contend he’s using his military credentials to leapfrog to the presidency.
We know from the campaigns of Sens. John McCain and John Kerry those calling cards open only so many doors. And, in fact, can invite criticism, which both McCain and Kerry experienced. In 2004, Kerry’s presidential run was doomed by malicious rumors doubting his service in the Vietnam War.
And in 2015, President Trump said the fighter pilot McCain was “a loser” for being caught after his plane crashed in North Vietnam. McCain served five-and-a-half years in a POW camp.
We think Buttigieg’s military service speaks volumes about not only the kind of person he is, but the leader he would be. He signed up and served honorably. Right there, he’s in elite company.
