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5 Generations of American Military Veterans in 6 Charts
By 2030, Post-9/11 Vets outnumber Vietnam Vets. By 2050, we lose the last of Korean War and World War II Generations — Veterans past, present, and future by the numbers.
I was in high school when 9/11 changed the trajectory of both the world and my life forever.
Before 9/11, I was just a kid that had no concept of the military beyond pop culture and war movies; however, after the Towers fell, the prospect of military service suddenly crashed into my world.
After 9/11, some decided to become firefighters, some decided to become journalists, and some decided to join the military. Everyone chose their own way. I chose a variation of the third option and joined the military as a college student. I signed up with the understanding I would eventually end up somewhere on the other side of the world, but like most 19-year-olds, I never stopped to consider where I would end up in the long-run.
To be clear, by many measures, I’ve had a pedestrian military career. I commissioned through ROTC as a 2nd Lieutenant in the National Guard and served in Iraq; later on, I did a tour Afghanistan. In a way, I merely played my part as a supporting cast member. But all of a sudden, ten years into my very average military career, I…
