People who do military services or veterans do many things to keep us safe. They fight day and night so that you and I can sleep comfortably in our beds at night. They spend long periods away from their family and home, and it takes a lot of patience and dedication to continue this way.
There is very little that most people know about veterans. Sure, there are many movies that are based on their experiences. Still, how many facts do we know about their lives? We have compiled 5 statistics about veterans that will surprise you.
First Statistic
As of 2019, there were 12,987 living veterans who had served all through World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
That’s 12,987 who have seen the worst atrocities of war and are still living and breathing in our world today. There’s so much history that they have seen, and we can access their information if we were only willing to.
Statistic #2
As of 2021, there are 19 million veterans in the United States of America. This is less than 10 percent of America’s population.
Roughly 78 percent of veterans in 2021 served during wartime, and 22 percent served in peacetime. Even though the US has not been embroiled in any major war in the past decade, our veterans have still had significant participation in wartime.
Statistic #3
The percentage of veterans in the adult population in the US was 7%. This was a drop from 18% in 1980. The number of people who are enlisting in the military and are active members has dropped too. We can hypothesize that this has much to do with how people aren’t drafted for wars anymore, and the US doesn’t have active military interference in any country at the moment.
Statistic #4
The Veterans Association predicts the veteran population to decrease by 35% in 25 years. They predict that the number of veterans will dwindle from 19 million to 12.5 million. All of these veterans will be from the Gulf War era, while the veterans who served in earlier wars will have passed away. This makes sense as the military climate of the world is relatively at peace. There’s no foreseeable war that veterans would need to serve in.
Last Statistic
In the current Congress, only 17 percent have previous military experience. As the number of veterans has declined, so have the members of Congress who have military experience. More legislators are now people who have served the country in the past. In 1975, after the Korean War, the senators who were veterans were 81 percent. The fall to 17% has been a drastic but understandable one.
Veterans are a part of the history of the United States, and we should do our best to remember the important roles they have played within our country in the past century. Their numbers are maybe dwindling, but their spirit remains a pillar in our country’s future.