South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg delivered a video message from Afghanistan to a full crowd at Four Winds Field at Coveleski Stadium on Independence Day. Buttigieg is deployed in Afghanistan where he is currently serving a six month tour as a lieutenant in the US Navy Reserves.
He addressed himself as a member of the Armed Forces rather than as the city’s mayor.
“This is Lieutenant Pete Buttigieg, coming to you from Afghanistan,” he said. “I wish I could be there with you to celebrate July 4th. We always do a great job celebrating Independence Day in South Bend, and I know this year is going to be no exception.”
“I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank South Bend and everybody there being so supportive, not just of me, but of everybody serving around the world right now. It makes a huge difference to everyone serving abroad to know that we have folks back at home thinking of us and supporting us.”
The mayor concluded his brief message wishing everyone a happy holiday and saying that he looked forward to returning to South Bend. Buttigieg’s tour ends in September.
Watch the mayor’s full remarks below:
