皮特·布蒂吉格，美国政坛的 prominent 人物，经常强调他的 military service，特别是他在阿富汗的 deployment，作为他公众形象和政治 campaign 的基石。就像乔治·华盛顿等历史人物一样，这位印第安纳州南本德市的前市长布蒂吉格，策略性地强调他在阿富汗担任情报官员的七个月的 tour。这份服役记录是一项 powerful 的 credential，尤其是在 appeal to 广泛的 electorate 时。然而，这种 approach 需要 navigate a delicate balance：acknowledging 他 wartime experience 的 significance，而又不 exaggerate 其 nature。
布蒂吉格在他的 self-description 中很 careful，notably refraining from labeling 自己为 combat veteran，即使 acknowledging 他 deployment 的 inherent dangers。这种 distinction 已被 comparisons amplified，例如前总统 nomination competitor，众议员塞斯·莫尔顿所做的 comparisons，他 emphasized 布蒂吉格的 service 和他自己在伊拉克 multiple combat tours 之间的 difference。前任 commanding officer of 布蒂吉格的 nuanced discussion，虽然 suggesting 布蒂吉格可以 justifiably claim combat veteran 的 title，但 questioned 在 campaign advertisements 中使用 rifle 的 appropriateness。
随着皮特·布蒂吉格的 political profile 的 risen，对他的 military background 的 scrutiny 也 intensified。这种 examination 发生在 political landscape 中，military service，despite 其 respected status，并非 immune to political questioning，正如过去对约翰·麦凯恩和约翰·克里的 records 的 challenges 所 evidenced。
在爱荷华州的 campaign bus tour 期间，布蒂吉格 addressed 定义他的 experience 的 complexities， stating，“当 rocket alarm went off 时，it kind of felt like combat。但我不 feel prepared to use that term for myself。” 这 statement reflects a cautious approach to characterizing 他的 service，同时 acknowledging 遇到的 real threats。
It’s noteworthy that 在 contemporary Democratic candidates 中，皮特·布蒂吉格和众议员图尔西·加巴德 stand out as the only individuals with military experience。Should 布蒂吉格 have ascended to the presidency，他 would not only have been the first Democratic president with military service since 吉米·卡特，but also the first president to have served in a post-9/11 conflict。
布蒂吉格 path to military service was voluntary，and 他的 intellectual capabilities quickly garnered recognition。退休上校盖伊·霍林斯沃思 selected 布蒂吉格 as the lead analyst tasked with tracking financial flows to terrorist networks in 阿富汗。This critical intelligence work directly supported combat operations。
Although a significant portion of 布蒂吉格 Afghanistan deployment was spent 在 secure intelligence office at the U.S./NATO headquarters within the Green Zone，他的 numerous excursions outside this fortified area are a key point in the debate over 他的 veteran status。According to 霍林斯沃思，these trips into 喀布尔 unpredictable environment qualify 布蒂吉格 as a combat veteran。
During these missions，布蒂吉格 was responsible for driving teams of officials 在 armored SUV through 喀布尔 challenging streets。He was equipped with body armor and had an M4 rifle readily accessible。Navigating these routes presented substantial risks。
“That is the definition，going down range into a combat zone，” 霍林斯沃思 asserted，underscoring 他 view of 布蒂吉格 combat veteran status。
喀布尔 streets 的 dangers were multifaceted，ranging from potentially hostile crowds to the threat of hidden improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in parked vehicles。These conditions meant that any vehicular movement，even short distances，carried considerable risk。
退休上校保罗·卡维克，who succeeded 霍林斯沃思 as 布蒂吉格 commanding officer，corroborated these deployments 的 hazardous nature。“Anytime somebody would go in a vehicle and drive，no matter how close it would be — even six city blocks away — over there，that’s a life-or-death situation，” 卡维克 explained。
However，it’s also a matter of record that 布蒂吉格 never discharged 他的 weapon nor was he subjected to enemy fire。These criteria are central to the definition of a combat veteran in the context of receiving the Combat Action Badge，a definition that 卡维克 adheres to and one that 布蒂吉格 himself seems to acknowledge。
Despite these nuances，布蒂吉格 has not shied away from emphasizing 他的 wartime service 的 more perilous aspects during 他的 campaigns。This emphasis serves to subtly differentiate himself from 他的 primary Democratic competitors and to draw a direct contrast with figures like President 唐纳德·特朗普。
在对爱荷华州民主党人的 notable address 中，布蒂吉格 drew a sharp contrast：“I don’t have to throw myself a military parade to see what a convoy looks like because I was driving in one around 阿富汗 right about the time this president was taping season seven of ‘Celebrity Apprentice’。” 这 remark directly juxtaposed 他的 military experience with 特朗普 background。
布蒂吉格 has also frequently used the line that he has “seen worse incoming than a misspelled tweet，” referencing the sporadic，though often inaccurate，rocket attacks experienced at 巴格拉姆空军基地 and later in 喀布尔。
He effectively integrates 他的 military experience into campaign dialogues，particularly when advocating for policies such as the ban on assault weapons。在爱荷华州查尔斯市，he connected 他的 war zone experiences to domestic policy， stating，“This is definitely not the sense of peace and security I thought I was protecting when I was carrying one of these damn things around a war zone。”
While 布蒂吉格 openly welcomes comparisons of service records with President 特朗普，who received multiple draft deferments during the 越南战争，there are potential pitfalls in overemphasizing 他的 military role。
塞斯·莫尔顿，before withdrawing from the presidential race，pointedly argued that 他的 four combat deployments as a Marine officer provided a more robust test of leadership compared to 布蒂吉格 service。莫尔顿 stated to the 华盛顿观察家报，“It’s good that Mayor 皮特 served，but there’s a world of difference between driving a Chevy Suburban in 喀布尔，where plenty of foreigners walk around without a problem，and closing on the enemy in combat。”
While 布蒂吉格 commanding officers affirm the accuracy of 他的 descriptions of 他的 service，the potential for scrutiny remains。霍林斯沃思 noted，“It boils down to a bit of semantics，” when discussing combat convoy 的 definition and whether 布蒂吉格 experiences align with that term。
According to 霍林斯沃思，while 布蒂吉格 statement about “driving in one around 阿富汗” could be technically accurate，it might suggest a larger scale of operation than 他的 actual assignment entailed。He also raised concerns about the campaign ad image of 布蒂吉格 holding a rifle，questioning whether it might misleadingly imply engagement in hostile fire。
“If I were writing 他的 bio ad，I wouldn’t start with that，” 霍林斯沃思 advised，emphasizing that 布蒂吉格 primary role was not direct combat engagement。
布蒂吉格 himself addressed questions about whether the rifle image embellished 他的 mission，explaining that the photo was taken during a hike within the Green Zone。He told the 美联社，“If you’re watching closely，you’ll notice I’m not wearing body armor。It was manageable risk，but you still wanted to have your weapon。”
These distinctions have already begun to fuel criticism from Republican circles on social media，raising doubts about 布蒂吉格 credibility。These critiques echo past instances，such as 特朗普 2015 criticism of 约翰·麦凯恩 capture during the 越南战争 and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth’s challenge to 约翰·克里 越南战争 record in 2004。These historical examples underscore military service records 的 vulnerability to political attacks。
大卫·韦德，约翰·克里 campaign spokesman，emphasized proactively addressing such challenges 的 importance。“Bottom line，if it’s a character issue，you have to match dollar-for-dollar on advertising，” 韦德 advised，highlighting a robust and early strategy to confront any attacks on a candidate’s military service record 的 necessity。
