Why are you so damned argumentative?If El Gato’s numbers approximate with yours then I was wrong (and quite surprised).
If El Gato is correct (and he’s been spot on so far) over one third of our total population was involved in the war effort. Those were times when patriotism out-trumped all else for the sake of our nation. Do you have any difference with me being happy about that or do you still have to argue about something for the sake of argument itself?
I’d rather “lay down swords” and work to get our nation back from this illegal alien and his minions.
About 12% were actually on duty, but not necessarily quite all of them at the same time. That 16.5 million is the total number who served, not the number at any one time. Still when you consider all the people working in the armaments factories, you probably do get to 1/3, maybe even higher. My Dad, and both blood uncles were in that active duty component. (the paternal uncle was sunk in the Greenland Sea by a U-boat in November of '42, while serving as Naval Armed Guard aboard the Liberty Ship George Rodgers Clark. He got off with *only* the loss a couple of toes to frostbite. My Mom, even though she was in high school for much of the war, was also one of those defense plant workers. When she first graduated from high school, at 16, she worked as an elevator operator, non defense, but then shifted to the Stop-Nut (sp?) company, which made fuses, and continued to do so up through the late 50s or early 60s, but then it was part of Timex. My aunt worked there then, she also worked at an Army Ammunition plant, helping to pour liquid explosive material (liquid because it was HOT) into bomb casings, but that was during Vietname, when she was a middle aged lady.
Dad and both Uncles are gone now, although the maternal uncle only died last year. Aunt is gone too. Oldest Aunt, and my Mom, the baby of the family, are still with us. I'll call her tomorrow so she can be told Happy Mothers Day by her great granddaughter, who right now is asleep in MY BED!
I try not to put up easily verifiable information without first checking. And maybe checking a second source if the first doesn't agree with my first notions. Google is your friend. (although I usually use Alta Vista, which seems to work better for the sorts of things I search for)