COLUMBIA, S.C. - After drawing sharp criticism about whether he would honor his military commitment, Gov. Mark Sanford said Tuesday he will go with his Air Force Reserve unit if it is deployed.

"The bottom line for me is that I made a commitment and I am going to keep it," Sanford said in a letter to Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer. "Therefore, as to any orders I receive I will do just as anyone else in my unit and follow them."

Sanford formally announced his candidacy for governor in March 2001. He gained his commission as a first lieutenant in the 315th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron on Jan. 30, 2002, and critics accused him of using military service for political gain.

Sanford's unit has not been notified it will be called up, said Col. Chris King, an Air Force Reserve spokesman in Charleston.

"In the event my unit is activated, I have full confidence in your abilities along with those of (House) Speaker (David) Wilkins and Sen. (Glenn) McConnell," Sanford wrote to Bauer. McConnell is Senate president pro tem, and all of the men mentioned in the letter are fellow Republicans.

"Should that happen, I will work closely with each of you to ensure that the agenda I laid out for our state last week is fulfilled," Sanford wrote, alluding to his State of the State speech last Wednesday.

Political questions surrounded news of Sanford's decision to join the Air Force Reserve last year, including whether the former congressman had wielded influence to gain his commission as a first lieutenant.

Sanford says he began checking into military service during his third U.S. House term. He said along the way he received no special treatment.