WWII Veteran Statistics — THE LEGACY OF THE WWII GENERATION

The National WWII Meseum ^ | 12/10/2025

[devane617]

THE LEGACY OF THE WWII GENERATION Every day, memories of World War II are disappearing from living history. The men and women who fought and won this great conflict are now in their 90s or older; according to US Department of Veterans Affairs statistics, 45,418 of the 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II are alive as of 2025.

[mass55th]

"Oh, forgot to add. He died in 1986, two days after his 64th birthday."

So many of the men who made it home from WWII, died young. Sorry you lost your father at that young age. My two uncle's, one from both sides of the family served in US Army in the Burma, China, India theater. My uncle on my father's side died in June 1948, at age 41, less than a year after I was born. My uncle on my mother's side died September 1964 at age 48. I was a Junior in high school at the time. He and his wife lived in California until he got sick and came back to live with us. He was in the VA Hospital in Batavia, NY until he passed.

My only brother enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam 1966-67. He would never talk about his time there. He passed far too young of a massive heart attack at 51.

[mass55th]

"My great uncle was a farm boy and lied when he was 15 to get into army. Artillery (as was Harry Trunan). Saw the worst of WW 1 in France and wouldn’t talk about it ever more."

Although my great-uncle served with the Canadian Forces, he was killed in France two months before the Armistice. That was a horrible war.

[real saxophonist]

Oh, man. I’m sorry to hear all that.

[mass55th]

"Yes, you’re right. One day in the not-so-distant future, we will hear a report that the last surviving veteran of WWII has passed. It’s sad to think soon they will all be gone."

Next is the Korean War, then Vietnam, then The Gulf War and beyond. I may not even be around to see the last vet of the Korean War pass.

[AndyJackson]

This generation did great things and then they retired and left the sycophant useless bunch of boomers they selected as their aides and factoti in charge of the whole world. Plato wrote about this problem in Book VIII of the Republic.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Europe has been invaded by Muslims who are taking over without firing a shot.

[beef]

“they did great stuff ... and then voted in the 1965 immigration act and the great society ...”

That is my take as well. They were great soldiers, but not always so great at running things.

[Reily]

Victory in the war taught that generation since massive government can win a world war it can make everything else better!

[Bonemaker]

It was horrible and both sides lost 100’s of thousand of European manhood. Between that and WW2 losses, Europe will probably never fully recover.

[mass55th]

Thanks for that.

[mass55th]

"It was horrible and both sides lost 100’s of thousand of European manhood. Between that and WW2 losses, Europe will probably never fully recover."

WWI was supposed to be the war to end all wars, but Europe allowed Germany to violate the Treaty of Versailles, and did nothing. Germany was still manufacturing military weapons, despite being banned by the Treaty. Europe sat back and did nothing when Hitler and his rhetoric showed up on the scene. They did nothing when he invaded Austria, or when he invaded Czechoslovakia...and he knew no one was going to do anything, which only emboldened him to head to Poland. Had Europe policed Germany more closely, and consistently in the aftermath of WWI, it's my own opinion that there might not have been a Hitler to rile up the Germans to wage war again. WWII happened because Europe closed its eyes and pretended nothing bad was going on around them.