Winterset, Iowa (CNN) Pete Buttigieg is closing out his campaign here in Iowa by highlighting something that separates him from the rivals he will debate on Tuesday: his military service.

Buttigieg, a veteran of the US Navy Reserves who served one tour in Afghanistan in 2014, has touted his service in the past -- his first television ad in Iowa featured him holding a rifle and introducing himself "as a veteran."

But that focus has taken on a new context in light of the conflict with Iran and the fact that Buttigieg will be the only veteran on the debate stage (Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard failed to qualify). The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor is using his experience to both burnish his national security credentials and subtly answer questions voters may have about how the youngest candidate in the race would confront life-or-death issues like war.

The strategy appears to be resonating with voters in early nominating states, where voters told CNN that they see Buttigieg's military service as a key factor in their decision making process.

Organizers here in Iowa for Buttigieg's campaign say that people answering their front doors across the state have asked about the former mayor's military service and how it relates to everything they are seeing on television about Iran.

"He knows what war is like and I don't think he will get us into one," said Peggy Casper, a 75-year-old from Winterset, Iowa, who runs a grain elevator with her husband. "I just think he seems cool. Like he would take everything into consideration and not fly off the handle and do something rash. We need someone like that."

While tensions with Iran have been ratcheting up for weeks, they reached a fever pitch earlier this month when President Donald Trump authorized an airstrike that killed Qasem Soleimani, Iran's leading military figure and the head of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force, an elite unit that handles Iran's overseas operations. Iran responded by sending around a dozen ballistic missiles at Iraqi military bases housing US troops days later. No casualties were reported.

The back-and-forth has set off a string of dire headlines and Buttigieg has responded by lamenting the way Trump has handled the situation -- and by highlighting his own experience.

"When I was deployed, I felt it. I felt that the flag on my shoulder was keeping me safe because it stood for a country that was known to our allies and our adversaries to be one that keeps its word," Buttigieg said here in Winterset on Monday. "And when I'm your commander-in-chief, no ally will ever have reason to question whether it's a good idea to bet your life on the credibility the United States of America."

This was far from the first time Buttigieg referenced his service during his stump speech.

Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, poses for a portrait at his office in December 2018. Hide Caption 1 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg was an intelligence officer with the Navy Reserve from 2009 until 2017, and he served in the war in Afghanistan. Hide Caption 2 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg thanks supporters after he was elected mayor in 2011. Buttigieg was born and raised in South Bend and went on to attend Harvard College. He later became a Rhodes scholar. After a three-year stint at the consulting firm McKinsey and Company, Buttigieg came back to Indiana and lost a race for state treasurer in 2010. Hide Caption 3 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg listens to a question during a news conference announcing an interim police chief in March 2012. Hide Caption 4 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg paddles a raft during the East Race Waterway in July 2013. Hide Caption 5 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg delivers his State of the City address in February 2014. Hide Caption 6 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg is welcomed home in September 2014 after serving a seven-month tour of duty in Afghanistan. Hide Caption 7 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg speaks in November 2014 during a presentation ceremony for a newly redeveloped area in South Bend. Hide Caption 8 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg speaks out about the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that was signed in Indiana in March 2015. Buttigieg and other critics of the legislation, which was signed into law by then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, contended that individuals and businesses could use it to discriminate against the gay community on the basis of religion. Pence later signed an amendment that was intended to protect the rights of LGBT people. Hide Caption 9 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg The State Theater in downtown South Bend shows its support for "Mayor Pete" after Buttigieg came out as gay in June 2015. Hide Caption 10 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg's name is Maltese and roughly translates to "lord of the poultry." His husband, Chasten, tweeted a list of possible pronunciations in 2018 that included "boot-edge-edge," "buddha-judge" and "boot-a-judge." Hide Caption 11 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg speaks at a debate-watching party in Chicago in September 2016. He was stumping for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Hide Caption 12 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg speaks during a Democratic National Committee forum in February 2017. Hide Caption 13 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg greets supporters during the DNC forum in February 2017. He was campaigning at the time to be the committee's chairman. Hide Caption 14 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg walks with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, a personal friend, who was visiting South Bend in April 2017. Hide Caption 15 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg appears on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" in June 2017. Hide Caption 16 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg kisses his husband, Chasten, after they were married in South Bend in June 2018. Hide Caption 17 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg announces in December 2018 that he would not be seeking a third term as mayor. Hide Caption 18 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg talks with a reporter in downtown South Bend in January 2019. Hide Caption 19 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg speaks to reporters in Washington after announcing his presidential ambitions. Hide Caption 20 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg speaks during the US Conference of Mayors in January 2019. Hide Caption 21 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg speaks during a campaign stop in Ankeny, Iowa, in February 2019. Hide Caption 22 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg signs copies of his book "Shortest Way Home" in February 2019. Hide Caption 23 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg speaks on stage during the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, in March 2019. Hide Caption 24 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg answers questions from supporters during a fundraising event in West Hollywood, California, in March 2019. Hide Caption 25 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg and former Vice President Joe Biden talk during a break in the first Democratic debates. Hide Caption 26 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg takes part in CNN's Democratic debates in July 2019. Hide Caption 27 of 28 Photos: Former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg Buttigieg announces the end of his presidential campaign at an event in South Bend, Indiana, in March 2020. Hide Caption 28 of 28

The former mayor used a question about conflict in the Middle East during a town hall in New Hampshire to pivot to how his service would focus how he approaches issues of war and peace.

"As a military intelligence officer on the ground if Afghanistan, I was trained to ask these questions before a decision is made," he said earlier this month, after Soleimani was killed but before Iran launched its missile strike. "And I know right now, across the country, a lot of families with members of the military are going to be holding each other a little more tightly wondering what this might mean, even as we have citizens in and out of uniform right now as we speak, who may be in danger across the region."

In Nevada, supporters waived "Veterans and Military Community for Pete" signs and Buttigieg responded to a question on how "Trump said he would stop endless wars" but "now he and the Republicans may start another" by talking about the men and women he served with.

"This morning in the airport in Los Angeles, I was on my way here and I ran into somebody, senior enlisted leader who I had served with," Buttigieg said, describing a woman who lost a leg after being injured during an attack in Afghanistan who was slated to see another tour of duty.

"All I could think of was we owe it to anyone who has put their lives on the line to... make sure that we will never ask them to go into harm's way unless there is no alternative and we made sure it is absolutely the only way forward," Buttigieg said.

And on Sunday night in Des Moines, Buttigieg said his service would inform his decision on war if he becomes President.

"If we're serious about honoring our troop, let's honor them by making sure they are never sent to sacrifice in a conflict that could have been avoided," he said. "That's part of patriotism and national security, too."

Anti-war sentiment has been a key force in the Iowa caucuses before. Then-Sen. Barack Obama seized on anti-war sentiment aimed at the War in Iraq during his upstart run in Iowa in 2008 and used then-Sen. Hillary Clinton's vote in favor of the war against her.

While that fervor does not appear to be as prevalent as it was a dozen years ago, the lines Buttigieg delivered on Iran were well received by voters, many of whom expressed deep skepticism toward a conflict with Iran.

"The thing that distinguishes him from the other candidates is not being part of the Washington elite and that he's served in the military," said Matt Sheeley, 55-year old criminal defense lawyer from Des Moines. "He knows the implications of putting boots on the ground. He's seen the havoc in the middle East firsthand and I can't find another candidate that has actually served in the military."

Sarah McKinney, a 29-year old teacher from Bondurant, Iowa, said Buttigieg's service was "critical" for she and voters she knows in Iowa.

"His service will help him understand the seriousness of going to war," she said, "and to take actions to prevent going to war."