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Features for Senior Citizens
Veterans Day 2006 Features Unique Opportunity to
Hear WW I Survivors Tell Their Stories
 Ceremony at National Cemetery; veteran
facts you may not know
 November 8, 2006 – There is the national
celebration of Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday,
Nov. 11, but Americans will also have an unusual opportunity to hear 12
of the 14 surviving World War I veterans – all age 105 or older - share
their stories on National Public Radio. More than four million Americans
fought the "war to end all wars" in 1917-18. These veterans share their
reminiscences, humor, and wit in a two-hour radio special hosted by
Walter Cronkite, The World War I Living History Project.
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To find local stations and times check NPR here.
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For more about this program, click here.
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New Orleans to Host One of Largest World War II
Gatherings Since the War
Three days of notable presentations by those who
were there
November 7, 2006 – New Orleans will host from Nov.
16 through Nov. 19 what is being called "one of the largest, most
significant World War II gatherings since the end of World War II." The
program, hosted by the National World War II Museum, will feature
presentations by notables, such as, former war correspondent and newsman
Walter Cronkite; WWII bomber pilot and former senator George McGovern;
war correspondents Andy Rooney and Richard C. Hottelet; James Bradley,
author of Flags of Our Fathers; and former Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright, who will discuss the liberation of Eastern Europe;
British author Sir Max Hastings; and noted World War II historian,
Donald L. Miller.
Read more...
PBS to Air Epic Documentary About World War II Next
September
Promotion begin this Wednesday to during two nights
of military history for Veterans Day
 November 7, 2006 - PBS (Public Broadcasting
Service) has announced that it will air the new Ken Burns documentary
series, THE WAR, in September 2007 and begin promoting it this
week (see sidebar below). The seven-part documentary series,
directed and produced by Burns and Lynn Novick, explores the history
and horror of the Second World War from an American perspective by
following the fortunes of so- called ordinary men and women who get
caught up in the greatest cataclysm in human history.
Read more...
Dying Wish – 'Save Social Security, Support
Veterans, Fix Health Care'
 WWII Vet, senior citizen, activist leaves unique
request in lieu of flowers
By Tucker Sutherland, editor
July 18, 2006 – "In lieu of flowers: SAVE SOCIAL
SECURITY, SUPPORT VETERANS' BENEFITS, FIX OUR BROKEN HEALTH CARE
SYSTEM!" That is what Romulo A. (Chacho) Munguia asked to be placed in
his obituary that was published today in the San Antonio Express-News.
Read more...
Read more
Features for Senior Citizens |
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The nation's patriotic ceremony honoring America’s
military members and veterans is scheduled for Saturday, November 11 at
11 a.m. in Arlington National Cemetery. A wreath-laying ceremony will
take place at the Tomb of the Unknowns, followed by a ceremony in the
Memorial Amphitheater, adjacent to the Tomb. The event will commence
with a prelude concert by the U.S. Marine Band at 10:30 a.m. inside the
amphitheater.
Attendees are strongly encouraged to arrive early.
Every effort is made to perform security screenings quickly and
efficiently, but the lines to pass through the screening stations often
become quite lengthy. Once capacity has been reached - which often
happens by 10:30 or earlier - entrance to the Tomb and amphitheater area
of the cemetery will be closed.
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Veterans are 28 Percent of U.S. Deaths and Need to
be Aware of End-of-Life Care
National hospice, palliative care group reaches
out on Veterans Day
November 9, 2006 – More than 50,000 U.S. military
veterans die each month, about 28 percent of all deaths in the nation,
according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization,
which is using the celebration of Veterans Day on Saturday to urge
Americans who may know of a veteran needing the special care hospice
provides, to contact the organization.
Read more...
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This year’s event will be hosted by the R. James
Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs; Tom Poulter, National
Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart; & Maj. Gen. Guy C.
Swan III, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Military District of
Washington and the Joint Force Headquarters–National Capital Region.
Both ceremonies are free and open to the public.
For those interested in observing the wreath ceremony, space is limited
to standing room only. Inside the amphitheater, seating is available on
a first-come, first-served basis. No tickets are needed to attend these
events. However, due to space limitations, spectators generally must
choose which of the two events they wish to observe. The events
conclude around noon.
At 8 a.m., the cemetery gates open and a free
shuttle service will begin transporting people from the Arlington
National Cemetery visitor center to the Tomb/amphitheater. Parking in
the cemetery’s visitor parking lot will be free until 1 p.m. The
visitor center is approximately one-quarter mile from the Arlington
National Cemetery Metro station on the Blue Line (between the Pentagon
and Rosslyn stations).
Fort Myer will also operate a free shuttle for DoD
Identification card holders from the Fort Myer Memorial Chapel parking
lot. Walking into the cemetery is prohibited from Fort Myer.
Click here to links to Veterans Day events at the Department of Veterans
Affairs
Facts About
Veterans Day 2006:
Nov. 11
 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 has evolved into also honoring
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.
24.5 million
The number of military veterans in the United States in 2004.
See Table 509, 2006 edition, at
<http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/national_security_veterans_affairs/>
Female
Vets
1.7 million
The number of female veterans in 2004.
See Table 509, 2006 edition, at
<http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/national_security_veterans_affairs/>
16%
Percentage of Persian Gulf War veterans in 2004 who were
women. See Table 510, 2006 edition, at <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/national_security_veterans_affairs>
Race and
Hispanic Origin
2.4 million
The number of black veterans in 2005. Additionally, 1.1
million veterans are Hispanic, 293,000 are Asian, 170,000 are American
Indian or Alaska Native, and 28,000 are Native Hawaiian or other Pacific
Islander. (The numbers for blacks, Asians, American Indians and Alaska
Natives, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders cover only
those reporting a single race.) (From AmericanFactFinder.)
When They
Served
9.5 million
The number of veterans age 65 or older in 2004.
See Table 510, 2006 edition, at
<http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/national_security_veterans_affairs/>
8.1 million
Number of Vietnam-era veterans in 2004. Thirty-three
percent of all veterans served in Vietnam. See Table 510, 2006 edition,
at <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/national_security_veterans_affairs/>
3.9 million
Number of World War II veterans in 2004. Sixteen percent
of all veterans served during World War II. See Table 510, 2006 edition,
at <http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/national_security_veterans_affairs/>
412,000
In 2005, number of living veterans who served during
both the Vietnam era and in the Gulf War.
Other living veterans in 2005 who served in two or
more wars:
1. 343,000 served during both the Korean and
Vietnam wars.
2. 80,000 served during three periods: World War
II, Korean War and Vietnam War.
3. 306,000 served in World War II and the Korean
War.
(Source: AmericanFactFinder.)
Where They
Live
6
Number of states with 1 million or more veterans in
2004. These states are California (2.3 million), Florida (1.8 million),
Texas (1.7 million), New York (1.2 million), Pennsylvania (1.1 million)
and Ohio (1.1 million). See Table 509, 2006 edition, at
<http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/national_security_veterans_affairs/>
Education
1.1 million
Number of veterans enrolled in college, as of the
2001-2002 school year.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/education/007383.html>
25%
Percent of veterans 25 years and over with at least a
bachelor’s degree in 2005. (Source: AmericanFactFinder.)
89%
Percent of veterans 25 years and over with a high school
diploma or more in 2005. (Source: AmericanFactFinder.)
Income and
Poverty
$33,973
Annual median income of veterans, in 2005
inflation-adjusted dollars. (Source: AmericanFactFinder.)
5.8%
Poverty rate for veterans, as of 2005. (Source:
AmericanFactFinder.)
On the Job
11.3 million
Number of veterans ages 18 to 64 in the labor force in
2005. (Source: AmericanFactFinder.)
Voting
17.4 million
Number of veterans who voted in the 2004 presidential
election. Seventy-four percent of veterans cast a ballot, compared with
63 percent of nonvets.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/voting/006562.html>
Business
Owners
14%
Percentage of business owners who were veterans, as of
2002. Seventy-three percent of these veteran owners operated with no
paid employees.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/business_ownership/007537.html>
7%
Percentage of veteran business owners who were disabled
as a result of injury incurred or aggravated during active military
service.
<http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/business_ownership/007537.html>
Benefits
$22.4
billion
Aggregate amount received in fiscal year 2004 by the 2.6
million living veterans receiving compensation for service-connected
disabilities. See Table 512 and 513, 2006 edition, at
<http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/national_security_veterans_affairs/>
$59.6 billion
Total amount of federal government spending for veterans
benefits programs in fiscal year 2004. See Table 512, 2006 edition, at
<http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/national_security_veterans_affairs/>
>>
Facts from U.S. Census Bureau
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