Veterans Day is November 11th; Veterans Day History, Facts

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Veterans Day is November 11th; Veterans Day History, Facts11-05-07

President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation in 1954 to change Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

Veterans Day originated as "Armistice Day" on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation in 1954 to change the name to Veterans Day as a way to honor those who served in all American wars. The day has evolved into also honoring living military veterans with parades and speeches across the nation. A national ceremony takes place at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
U.S. Veteran Facts
23.7 million
The number of military veterans in the United States in 2006.
Jan. 21, 2007
The date of death of the last World War I veteran receiving compensation or pension from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
1.7 million
The number of female veterans in 2006.
16%
Percentage of Gulf War veterans in 2006 who were women.
2.4 million
The number of black veterans in 2006. Additionally, 1.1 million veterans are Hispanic; 292,000 are Asian; 169,000 are American Indian or Alaska Native; and 28,000 are Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.
9.2 million
The number of veterans 65 and older in 2006. At the other end of the age spectrum, 1.9 million were younger than 35.
8 million
Number of Vietnam-era veterans in 2006. Thirty-three percent of all living veterans served during this time (1964-1975). In addition, 4.6 million served during the Gulf War (representing service from Aug. 2, 1990, to present); 3.2 million in World War II (1941-1945); 3.1 million in the Korean War (1950-1953); and 6.1 million in peacetime.
430,000
In 2006, number of living veterans who served during both the Vietnam era and the Gulf War.
Other living veterans in 2006 who served in two or more wars:
- 350,000 served during both the Korean and Vietnam wars.
- 78,000 served during three periods: World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
- 294,000 served in World War II and the Korean War.
3
The documented number of living World War I veterans who served with U.S. forces as of Oct. 2, 2007.
6
Number of states with 1 million or more veterans in 2006. These states are California (2.2 million), Florida (1.7 million), Texas (1.7 million), New York (1.1 million), Pennsylvania (1.1 million) and Ohio (1 million).
25%
Percent of veterans 25 and older with at least a bachelor’s degree in 2006.
90%
Percent of veterans 25 and older with a high school diploma or higher in 2006.
$34,437
Annual median income of veterans, in 2006 inflation-adjusted dollars.
5.9%
Percentage of veterans living in poverty, as of 2006. The corresponding rate for nonveterans was 12.3 percent.
11.1 million
Number of veterans 18 to 64 in the labor force in 2006.
6.1 million
Number of veterans with a disability. More than half this number (3.5 million) were 65 and older.
17.4 million
Number of veterans who voted in the 2004 presidential election. Seventy-four percent of veterans cast a ballot, compared with 63 percent of nonveterans.
14.5%
Percentage of owners of firms that responded to the 2002 Survey of Business Owners who were veterans. Respondent veteran business owners totaled 3 million.
68%
Percentage of veteran owners of respondent firms who were 55 and older. This compares with 31 percent of all owners of respondent firms. Similarly, in 2002, 55 percent of veteran-owned respondent firms with employees reported that their businesses were established, purchased, or acquired before 1990, compared with 36 percent of all employer respondent firms.
7%
Percentage of all respondent veteran owners who were disabled as the result of injury incurred or aggravated during active military service.
2.7 million
Number of veterans who received compensation for service-connected disabilities as of 2006. Their compensation totaled $26.6 billion.
$72.4 billion
Total amount of federal government spending for veterans benefits programs in fiscal year 2006. Of this total, $34.5 billion went to compensation and pensions and $31.3 billion for medical programs.

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Remind your Representatives and Senators of the following
failures of the 2006 & 2007 National Defense Authorization Acts
-375,000 retirees with less than 50% disability denied CRDP
-327,000 retirees age 70 & 30 years still paying SBP premiums
-188,000 Chapter 61 with less than 20 years denied CRDP
- 55,000 widows denied relief from SBP/DIC
- 28,000 IU denied 100% benefit under CRDP
- 17,000 POW who died in captivity denied the Purple Heart
All of this legislation has bills held hostage in committee.

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