Friday, November 11 — Today is Veterans Day. It originated on this date in 1919 to commemorate the first anniversary of the end of combat in World War I. Known as Armistice Day, the occasion kept its name and focus until 1954, when it was changed to Veterans Day, and its scope widened to honor veterans from all eras. Across the country, there are over 19 million military veterans. Very nearly half — over 9.3 million — are age 65 and older. The veteran population includes nearly 1.6 million women. Nearly 7 million are Vietnam vets, about 2 million from the Korean War, and not quite 1.1 million remain from the 16 million in uniform during World War II. Some 5.2 million veterans served in one or both of the recent Gulf Wars.
Profile America is in its 20th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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