Happy Veterans Day!

According to a report from the U.S. Census Bureau, 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 honors 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.

The Census Bureau also provided the following statistics about U.S. Veterans.

• 23.2 million: The number of military veterans in the United States in 2008.

• 1.8 million: The number of female veterans in 2008.

• 2.3 million: The number of black veterans in 2008. Additionally, 1.1 million veterans were Hispanic; 276,000 were Asian; 160,000 were American Indian or Alaska Native; 27,000 were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; and 18.3 million were non-Hispanic white.

• 9.2 million: The number of veterans 65 and older in 2008. At the other end of the age spectrum, 1.9 million were younger than 35.

• 7.8 million: Number of Vietnam-era veterans in 2008. Thirty-three percent of all living veterans served during this time (1964-1975). In addition, 5.2 million served during the Gulf War (representing service from Aug. 2, 1990, to present); 2.6 million in World War II (1941-1945); 2.8 million in the Korean War (1950-1953); and 6 million in peacetime.

• 50,000: Number of living veterans in 2008 who served during the Vietnam Era and both Gulf War eras.

• Other living veterans in 2008 who served during three wars: 92,000 served during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam Era.

• Living veterans in 2008 who served during two wars: 740,000 served during both Gulf War eras; 245,000 served during both the Korean War and the Vietnam Era; and 182,000 served during both World War II and the Korean War.

• 15.8 million: Number of veterans who voted in the 2008 presidential election. Seventy-one percent of veterans cast a ballot, compared with 63 percent of nonveterans.

• 26%: Percent of veterans 25 and older with at least a bachelor’s degree in 2008. Additionally, 91% of veterans 25 and older with a high school diploma or higher in 2008.

• $36,779: Annual median income of veterans, in 2008 inflation-adjusted dollars.

• 10.4 million: Number of veterans 18 to 64 in the labor force in 2008.

• 5.5 million: Number of veterans with any type of disability in 2008.

• 2.9 million: Number of veterans who received compensation for service-connected disabilities as of 2008. Their compensation totaled $36.2 billion.

• $84.4 billion: Total amount of federal government spending for veterans benefits programs in fiscal year 2008. Of this total, $40.2 billion went to compensation and pensions, $37.9 billion for medical programs and the remainder to other programs, such as vocational rehabilitation and education.