Breaking News: Pete Buttigieg's Military Service Revealed

Subheadline: Former Presidential Candidate Served in Afghanistan

Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, served in the U.S. Navy Reserve from 2009 to 2017, according to military records obtained by The New York Times. Buttigieg volunteered for military service and completed a seven-month tour in Afghanistan as an intelligence officer.

Buttigieg's military service has not been widely reported until now. In a statement to The New York Times, Buttigieg said that he was "proud to have served my country" and that his time in the Navy Reserve "shaped me in profound ways." Buttigieg's military service is likely to be a major talking point in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

Buttigieg is a graduate of Harvard University and Oxford University. He served as mayor of South Bend from 2012 to 2020. In 2020, he ran for president as a Democrat and finished second in the Iowa caucuses. Buttigieg is currently the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.