Few in Congress Served in Military

With Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) "calling for resuming the draft to spread the burden of military service across society," the Atlanta Journal Constitution notes that Congress itself illustrates the same gap.

"Only about 10 percent of the members elected to Congress for the first time this year are military veterans, according to a survey by the Military Officers Association of America. In all, only about one in four members of the new Congress will have served in the military -- down from half in 1991 and three-quarters a decade earlier."

The decline in military experience among members of Congress reflects the fading of the World War II generation -- where most of the men served -- and the decades that have passed since the end of the Vietnam War and the nation's last military draft.

"The number of veterans in the House peaked in 1977-78, when about 80 percent of the members had military experience, said Strobridge. The peak in the Senate was in 1983-84, when 75 percent were veterans."

November 21, 2006 | Related News





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