Posted on by Dick

Veterans Day 2017 — Who are we

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces celebrate Veterans Day today, Nov. 10, the official federal holiday, and on Saturday, Nov. 11, the date of the WWI armistice.

World War II veteran Daniel Lau attends a Veterans Day ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Nov. 11, 2016. Lau served in both theaters during World War II and fought in The Battle of the Bulge. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Aiyana S. Paschal

Veterans Day is a day of memory. Memory of days past, when we wore the uniform, during both war and peace. We remember those veterans who are no longer with us, and those we strongly remember, among those are our friends.

So one might ask, just who are the veterans? Here are some interesting statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau:

Veterans Day 2017: Nov. 11
Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary marking 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 honors military veterans with parades and speeches across the nation and a remembrance ceremony takes place at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. The ceremony honors and thanks all who served in the U.S. armed forces.
The following facts are made possible by the invaluable responses to the U.S. Census Bureau’s surveys. We appreciate the public’s cooperation as we continuously measure America’s people,
places and economy.

Veterans
18.5 million
The number of military veterans in the United States in 2016.
Source: 2016 American Community Survey
1.6 million
The number of female veterans in the United States in 2016.
Source: 2016 American Community Survey
11.6%
The percentage of veterans in 2016 who were black. Additionally, 78.0 percent were non-Hispanic
white, 1.6 percent were Asian, 0.7 percent were American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.2
percent were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 1.3 percent were some other race.
(The numbers for blacks, non-Hispanic whites, Asians, American Indians and Alaska Natives,
Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, and some other race cover only those reporting a
single race.)
6.5%
The percentage of veterans in 2016 who were Hispanic.
9.2 million
The number of veterans age 65 and older in 2016. At the other end of the age spectrum, 1.6
million were younger than age 35.

For more information on Veterans Statistics, see https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/newsroom/facts-for-features/2017/cb17-ff22-veterans-day.pdf

 

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