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Community Corner

Honor Veterans Sunday at Community Park

Darien joins communities across the nation in celebration of Veterans Day, established in commemoration of Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I.

Darien VFW Post 2838 invites the community to the annual Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Peace Memorial at Darien Community Park at Plainfield and Clarendon Hills roads.

The event will feature a special commemoration of the 50-year anniversary of the Vietnam War.

About Veterans Day

According to the U.S. Census Bureau: Veteran’s 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 honor military veterans with parades and speeches across the nation. A national ceremony takes place at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

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Veterans Day Facts (as of 2011) from the U.S. Census Bureau

Number of Military Veterans

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  • 21.5 million military veterans, including 1.6 million who are female and 2.3 million black, 1.2 million Hispanic, 264,695 Asian, 153,223 American Indian or Alaska Native, 27,469 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 17.2 million non-Hispanic white.
  • 9.2 million veterans ages 65 and older
  • 1.8 million veterans  younger than age 35.

When They Served – by the Numbers

  • 7.5 million Vietnam-era 
  • 5.1 million Gulf War (representing service from Aug. 2, 1990 to present)
  • 1.8 million in World War II (1941-1945)
  • 2.4 million in Korean War (1950-1953)
  • 5.4 million in peacetime only

Number of Living Veterans

  • 51,079 served during the Vietnam era and both Gulf War eras and no other period
  • 43,942 served during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam era

Living Veterans who served during two wars and no other period

  • 876,663 served during both Gulf War eras
  • 205,205 served during both the Korean War and Vietnam era
  • 129,972 served during both World War II and the Korean War

More About Veterans

  • 26.3 percent of veterans ages 25 and older had at least a bachelor’s degree in 2011. In comparison, 28.5 percent of the total population had a bachelor’s degree or higher
  • 92.3 percent of veterans ages 25 and older had a high school diploma or higher in 2011, compared to 86 percent of the population as a whole
  • $35,821 is the annual median income of veterans, in 2011 inflation-adjusted dollars, compared with $25,811 for the population as a whole
  • 9.1 million veterans ages 18-64 were in the labor force in 2011
  • 3.5 million veterans have a service-connected disability rating. Of this number, 810,245 have a rating of 70 percent or higher. Severity of one’s disability is scaled from 9-100 percent and eligibility for compensation depends on one’s rating
  • 15.8 million veterans (71 percent) voted in the 2008 presidential election
  • 12.4 million veterans (57 percent ) voted in the 2010 congressional election
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