Veterans Day is a US federal holiday celebrated on 11 November. Unlike Memorial Day (the last Monday in May) which honors those who died in military service, Veterans Day commemorates anyone who has served on active duty. While you will have to work and the USPS will deliver mail, there are more than a dozen other recognized US military-related holidays. In addition to Armed Forces Day (recognition of current service members), there are service birthdays, Flag Day (also US Army birthday), Constitution Day (17 September), National Guard Day (13 December), and Vietnam Veterans Day (29 March).
Origins
The armistice that ended the fighting in World War I went into effect at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. On 11 November 1919, President Wilson issued a proclamation reflecting on the importance of the victory and expressing gratitude for those who made the ultimate sacrifice. In 1926, Congress adopted a resolution requesting annual presidential proclamations and observances on 11 November. Twelve years later, the day was formally recognized as a federal holiday. Initially known as Armistice Day, it was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.
Who is a Veteran?
A veteran is anyone who has previously served on active duty in the armed services, which includes the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, WWII era Merchant Marine, and the Space Force. According to the US Census Bureau (2022), there are currently 16.2 million veterans in the US. This number has been declining for decades primarily because of the end of the draft (1973) and the smaller scale of recent conflicts. The two largest groups are Gulf War era (7.8 million) and Vietnam era (5.9 million). There are also just over 200,000 WWII and 900,000 Korean conflict veterans. The remaining 1.4 million served during peacetime.
US Veteran Demographics
In 1980 nearly 1 in 5 (18%) of US adults were veterans. Today that number is closer to 6%. Over the next 50 years, the VA estimates that the number of veterans will decline to 12.5 million. Assuming a growing population, veterans will represent an ever-shrinking percentage of Americans. However, the number of female veterans is expected to grow from 2 million to 2.2 million. This is driven by their increased participation in military service (more roles are open to women) and the fact that they typically live longer than men.
Veterans in Congress
Today 17% of congressional members are veterans. While significantly higher than the general population, it’s much lower than recent highs. In 1975, 81% of senators were veterans and in 1967 75% of House members were veterans. Some of this follows the population trends and some is driven by the increased number of women in Congress. While women are serving at historically high rates, they’re still outnumbered roughly 4-1 by men.
Today’s Map
Population of US veterans by county (2019) courtesy of the Veterans Administration.
As always thanks for reading.
Armen
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