OCR Text |
Show Vet Population Starts Downward Trend For the first time since the days of World War II, the estimated number of veterans in civilian life ' is showing a consistent downward trend, the VA reports. The number of veterans in the nation reached an all-time high of 22,735,000 in March, 1958, dropping drop-ping to 22,723,000 in September, 1958. The total drop of 12,00 was a strong indication that, after 19 years' increase, the number of war veterans in the nation was on a downward trend. The September 30 breakdown of veterans shows that 4,463,000 were veterans of the Korean Conflict alone; 15,274,000 saw service in World War II; 2,852,000 were veterans vet-erans of World War I, and 134,000 are veterans of all other wars including in-cluding the Spanish - American I War, various Indian Wars, and J the regular establishment. I The ages of America's veterans in civil life range from well over 100 for the two surviving Confederate Confed-erate veterans to an average of 27-plus 27-plus for Korean Conflict veterans with no service in World War n. The average age of Spanish-American veterans is approximately 81; of World War I veterans, more than 64, and for World War II veterans, more than 39. Projections into the future estimating es-timating discharges of war veterans veter-ans from service and deaths to continue at presently expected rates indicate 21,549,000 war veterans vet-erans remaining by 1965; 20,531,-000 20,531,-000 by 1970, and 19,141,000 by 1975. A drop to the December 7, 1941, veteran population of 4,429,-000 4,429,-000 is expected by about the year 2008. |