Surviving U.S. veterans of World War II
Encyclopedia
Number of U.S. Veterans
16,112,566 individuals were members of the United States armed forcesArmed forces
The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. There were 291,557 battle deaths, 113,842 other deaths in service (non-theater), and 670,846 non-mortal woundings. In May 2011, the Department of Veterans Affairs estimated that approximately 2,079,000 American veterans are still living.
Medal of Honor Recipients
During this conflict 464 United States military personnel received the Medal of HonorMedal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
, 266 of them posthumously. Additionally, the only Medal of Honor recipient in history for the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
received the Medal for his actions during this war. As of August 12, 2011, there were 14 living World War II Medal of Honor recipients..
Mortality
Approximately 850 American World War II veterans die every day. The median age for a World War II veteran in February 2009 was 86 years.Survivors Associations
There are numerous U.S. World War II survivors associations. Some include allied veterans as well. Among the more well-known are:American Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor, Normandy Veterans Association, Pearl Harbor Survivors Association
Pearl Harbor Survivors Association
The Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, founded in 1958 and recognized by the United States Congress in 1985, is an organization whose members were at or in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii during the Japanese attack of December 7, 1941....
, Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, U.S. Submarine Veterans of World War II, and the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society.
See also
- List of Easy Company (506 PIR) veterans
- Last surviving United States war veteransLast surviving United States war veteransThis is an incomplete list of the last surviving veterans of American wars. The last surviving veteran of any particular war, upon his death, marks the end of a historic era. Exactly who is the last surviving veteran is often an issue of contention, especially with records from long-ago wars...
- List of surviving veterans of World War I
- Surviving veterans of the Spanish Civil WarSurviving veterans of the Spanish Civil WarThe following is a list of known surviving veterans of the Spanish Civil War . The total number of participating personnel is unknown, but there were an estimated 35,000 foreigners who fought on the Republican side in what was known as the International Brigades...
- Texas Military Veteran Video Oral Histories - Newton Gresham Library, Sam Houston State University