Public and Intergovernmental Affairs
Fact Sheet: America's Wars
American Revolution (1775-1783) Total Servicemembers ..................................217,000 Battle Deaths ..................................................4,435 Non-mortal Woundings......................................6,188 |
War of 1812 (1812-1815) Total Servicemembers...................................286,730
Battle Deaths..................................................2,260
Non-mortal Woundings.....................................4,505 |
Indian Wars (approx. 1817-1898) Total Servicemembers...................................106,000
Battle Deaths...................................................1,000 |
Mexican War (1846-1848) Total Servicemembers.....................................78,718
Battle Deaths...................................................1,733
Other Deaths in Service...................................11,550
Non-mortal Woundings......................................4,152 |
Civil War (1861-1865) Total U.S. Servicemembers (Union)..............2,213,363
Battle Deaths (Union)....................................140,414
Other Deaths (In Theater) (Union)....................224,097
Non-mortal Woundings (Union).......................281,881
Total Servicemembers (Conf.) (note 2) ...........1,050,000
Battle Deaths (Confederate) (note 3) ..................74,524
Other Deaths (In Theater) (Confed.) (note 3, 4)......59,297 Non-mortal Woundings (Confed.) .................Unknown |
Spanish-American War (1898-1902) Total Servicemembers (Worldwide).................306,760
Battle Deaths......................................................385
Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater)................2,061
Non-mortal Woundings......................................1,662 |
World War I (1917-1918) Total Servicemembers (Worldwide)...............4,734,991
Battle Deaths.................................................53,402
Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater)..............63,114
Non-mortal Woundings..................................204,002
Living Veterans.......................................................1 |
World War II (1941-1945) Total Servicemembers (Worldwide).............16,112,566
Battle Deaths................................................291,557
Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater).............113,842
Non-mortal Woundings..................................671,846 Living Veterans (note 5)................................2,306,000 |
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Korean War (1950-1953) Total Servicemembers (Worldwide)..............5,720,000
Battle Deaths.................................................33,741
Other Deaths (In Theater)..................................2,833
Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater)..............17,672
Non-mortal Woundings..................................103,284
Living Veterans..........................................2,307,000 |
Vietnam War (1964-1975) Total Servicemembers (Worldwide) (note 6)....8,744,000
Deployed to Southeast Asia (note 7) .............3,403,000
Battle Deaths (note 8).......................................47,424
Other Deaths (In Theater) (note 8) .....................10,785
Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater) (note 8) ...32,000
Non-mortal Woundings (note 9)........................153,303
Living Veterans (note 5, 10)............................7,125,000 |
Desert Shield/Desert Storm (1990-1991) Total Servicemembers (Worldwide)..............2,322,000
Deployed to Gulf...........................................694,550
Battle Deaths......................................................147
Other Deaths (In Theater).....................................235
Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater)................1,590
Non-mortal Woundings.........................................467
Living Veterans (note 5, 10)............................2,269,000 |
America's Wars Total U.S. Military Service During War................41,891,368 Battle Deaths................................................651,030
Other Deaths (In Theater)...............................308,800
Other Deaths in Service (Non-Theater).............230,279
Non-mortal Woundings................................1,431,290
Living War Veterans..................................17,456,000
Living Veterans (War & Peacetime)............23,442,000 |
Source: Department of Defense (DoD), except living veterans, which are VA estimates as of Sept. 2008.
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NOTES: 1. Exact number is unknown. Posted figure is the median of estimated
range from 184,000 – 250,000.
2. Exact number is unknown. Posted figure is median of estimated
range from 600,000 – 1,500,000.
3. Death figures are based on incomplete returns.
4. Does not include 26,000 to 31,000 who died in Union prisons.
5. Estimate based upon new population projection methodology.
6. Covers the period 8/5/64 - 1/27/73 (date of cease fire)
7. Department of Defense estimate
8. Covers period 11/1/55 – 5/15/75
9. Excludes 150,332 not requiring hospital care
10.VA estimate, as of 5/08, does not include those still on active duty and may include veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Global War on Terror (Oct. 2001 - )
The Global War on Terror (GWOT), including Operation
Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)
are ongoing conflicts. For the most current GWOT statistics,
visit the following Department of Defense Web site:http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/gwot_component.pdf
American Revolution |
Last veteran, Daniel F. Bakeman, died 4/5/1869, age 109
Last widow, Catherine S. Damon, died 11/11/06, age 92
Last dependent, Phoebe M. Palmeter, died 4/25/11, age 90 |
War of 1812 |
Last veteran, Hiram Cronk, died 5/13/05, age 105
Last widow, Carolina King, died 6/28/36, age unknown
Last dependent, Esther A.H. Morgan, died 3/12/46, age 89 |
Indian Wars |
Last veteran, Fredrak Fraske, died 6/18/73, age 101 |
Mexican War |
Last veteran, Owen Thomas Edgar, died 9/3/29, age 98
Last widow, Lena James Theobald, died 6/20/63, age 89
Last dependent, Jesse G. Bivens, died 11/1/62, age 94 |
Civil War |
Last Union veteran, Albert Woolson, died 8/2/56, age 109
Last Confederate Veteran, John Salling, died 3/16/58, age 112Last Union widow, Gertrude Janeway, died 1/17/2003, age 93
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Spanish-American War |
Last veteran, Nathan E. Cook, died 9/10/92, age 106 |
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It is estimated that the number of living World War II U.S. veterans will be:
9/30/08.....2,306,000 |
9/30/09.....2,024,000 |
9/30/10.....1,761,000 |
9/30/11.....1,517,000 |
9/30/12.....1,294,000 |
9/30/13.....1,092,000 |
9/30/14........911,000 |
9/30/15........750,000 |
9/30/16........611,000 |
9/30/17........490,000 |
9/30/18........388,000 |
9/30/19........303,000 |
9/30/20........233,000 |
9/30/21........176,000 |
9/30/22........131,000 |
9/30/23..........96,000 |
Veterans and Dependents on the Compensation and Pension Rolls as of September, 2008
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VETERANS
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CHILDREN
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PARENTS
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SURVIVING SPOUSES
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Civil War
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-
|
2
|
-
|
-
|
Indian Wars
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Spanish-American War
|
-
|
94
|
-
|
90
|
Mexican Border
|
-
|
15
|
-
|
60
|
World War I
|
|
3,169
|
-
|
4,873
|
World War II
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274,052
|
14,403
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117
|
223,895
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Korean Conflict
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156,842
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3,170
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257
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60,948
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Vietnam Era
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1,015,151
|
8,843
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2,932
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165,376
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Gulf War (1)
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896,288
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13,688
|
926
|
15,945
|
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Nonservice-connected
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315,763
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18,103
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2
|
182,236
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Service-connected
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2,951,587
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28,016
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5,385
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320,979
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(1) For compensation and pension purposes, the Persian Gulf War period has not yet been terminated and includes veterans of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom.
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Reviewed/Updated Date: January 8, 2009 |
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