Dec 04, 2023

Question of the Day: What percent of the U.S. population has military experience?

Most people have encountered someone who's served in some capacity, but what fraction of the U.S. population are veterans?

Answer: 6%

The American flag waving in the wind.

Questions:

  • What impact might financial benefits offered to military personnel, such as pensions and healthcare, have on people’s career decision-making?
  • How might the decision of whether to own or rent a home be different for individuals or military families?
  • Are you interested in a career in the military? Explain why or why not.

 

Here are the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

 

Behind the Numbers (Pew Research):

  • 7.8 million living U.S. veterans, or 43%, served in the Gulf War era.
  • 5.6 million living veterans (30%) served during the Vietnam War era from 1950 to 1973.
  • Around 767,000 veterans who served during the Korean conflict in the 1940s and 1950s are alive today. They make up 4% of all living veterans.
  • Fewer than 120,000 World War II veterans are alive today, making up less than 1% of all living veterans.

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NGPF's Alternatives to 4-Year Colleges mini-unit will give your students a broad look at their post-graduation options.

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About the Author

Ryan Wood

Ryan grew up with and maintains a love for learning. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a degree in Business Administration and worked in sports marketing for a number of years. After living in Texas, Colorado, Tennessee, and Minnesota, the call of education eventually brought Ryan back to his home state of Wisconsin where he was a Business and Marketing teacher for three years. In his free time he likes to spend time with his wife and daughter, play basketball, read, and go fishing. Now with NGPF, Ryan is excited to help teachers lead the most important course their students will ever take.

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