United States Department of Veterans Affairs
United States Department of Veterans Affairs

Public and Intergovernmental Affairs

Fact Sheet: America's Wars
November 2008 Word | PDF

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
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.

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.

 

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 112

Last Union widow, Gertrude Janeway, died 1/17/2003, age 93
 Spanish-American War Last veteran, Nathan E. Cook, died 9/10/92, age 106

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

 

VETERANS

CHILDREN

PARENTS

SURVIVING SPOUSES

Civil War 

-

2

-

-

Indian Wars

-

-

-

-

Spanish-American War

-

94

-

90

Mexican Border

-

15

-

60

World War I

 

3,169

-

4,873

World War II

274,052

14,403

 117

223,895

Korean Conflict

156,842

3,170

257

60,948

Vietnam Era

1,015,151

8,843

2,932

165,376

Gulf War (1)

896,288

13,688

926

15,945
  

Nonservice-connected

315,763

18,103

2

182,236

Service-connected

2,951,587

28,016

5,385

320,979

(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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