Today is Veterans Day. To clear up a common misconception, veterans aren't just military members who have participated in combat. "The term veteran means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable."
In other words, a veteran is anyone who served in the military and didn't get kicked out. If you know someone who fits that description, they deserve a sincere "thank you."
Of the current 23.2 million veterans in the U.S, 1.9 million are younger than 35, according to census.gov. This is our generation. Veterans Day isn't just for the old folks.
Here are some more veteran statistics--courtesy of census.gov--to add some numerical context:
- 3 million vets are business owners.
- 3.4 million vets are disabled because of a service-related injury.
- $36,779 is the median annual salary of veterans.
- $84.4 billion was spent by the federal government on veterans benefits programs in 2008.
We should take a little time out of our day to show some gratitude to the veterans around us. They took time out of their lives to serve our country. I'll be calling up a couple of my friends who served in Iraq with the Marines.
--Jens
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