Today is Veterans Day, commemorating Armistice Day at the end of World War I. Learn more about the history here.
There are 15.8 million veterans alive in the US today, a figure representing 6.1% of the adult US population. Veterans have served during wartime and in peacetime, with roughly one-third having served in the Vietnam War, one-quarter in the Gulf War, and 28% serving since 9/11. The percentage of veterans alive today who served in World War II is less than 0.2%. While the vast majority of veterans are US citizens, citizenship is not a prerequisite for enlistment; as of 2015, noncitizens made up less than 1% of veterans.
There are no known living veterans from World War I; the last known US soldier from that war was laid to rest in 2007. See stories from families whose relatives served in World War I here.
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