The Military-Civilian Gap: Fewer Family Connections: What’s Bedford Thinking?

May 25, 2022

With Memorial Day coming up I thought it would be interesting to see what Bedford is thinking about military connections.  

I found a poll, pretty old, from 2011 that found just one-half of one percent of American adults have served on active duty at any given time.  

A smaller share of Americans currently serves in the U.S. Armed Forces than at any time since the peace-time era between World Wars I and II.  I suspect that number hasn’t changed much or even may have gone down since 2011, due to the aging demographics of World War II vets.  

The number of people who know a family member who actively served in the military depends on the age of the respondent. 

Again, this is 2011 but only 33 percent of people 18 – 39 said they had an immediate family who served in the military.  That number goes up to 76% for people over 65.  (Note: for this analysis,  immediate family members who served include parents, spouses, siblings, and children.)   

Bedford has an Air Force base in town, so I suspect we have more family connections.  But I thought it would be interesting to ask.

So What’s Bedford Thinking – Do you have immediate family serving or who have served in any branch of the military?  (immediate family members who served include parents, spouses, siblings, and children)

Ready to be counted? Vote in the poll until noon next Saturday. You’ll find the poll in the right-hand column on The Citizen’s main page, or by scrolling to the bottom of your phone or tablet.

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