Veteran's Day facts and figures

Veterans Day originated as "Armistice Day" on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary marking the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation in 1954 to change the name to Veterans Day as a way to honor those who served in all American wars. The day honors military veterans with parades and speeches across the nation. A national ceremony takes place at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.

The veterans

19.6 million: Number of military veterans in the United States in 2013.
Source: 2013 American Community Survey 
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/DP02

1.6 million: Number of female veterans in the United States in 2013.
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/B21001

11.3%: Percent of veterans in 2013 who were black. Additionally, 79.3 percent were non-Hispanic white; 1.4 percent were Asian; 0.7 percent were American Indian or Alaska Native; 0.2 percent were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; 1.2 percent were some other race. (The numbers for blacks, non-Hispanic whites, Asians, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, and some other race cover only those reporting a single race.)
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/S2101

6.0%: Percent of veterans in 2013 who were Hispanic.
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/S2101

9.3 million: Number of veterans 65 years and older in 2013. At the other end of the age spectrum, 1.6 million were younger than 35.
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/B21001

When They Served

7.0 million: Number of Vietnam-era veterans in 2013. Moreover, there were 5.2 million who served during the Gulf War Era (representing service from August 1990 to present); 1.3 million who served in World War II; 2.1 million who served in the Korean War; and 4.7 million who served in peacetime only. 
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/B21002

58,445: Number of living veterans in 2013 who served during the Vietnam Era and both periods of the Gulf War (August 1990 to August 2001 and September 2001 or later).

Other living veterans in 2013 who served during three wartime periods:

• 39,890 served during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam Era.

Number of living veterans in 2013 who served during two wartime periods:

• 1,006,501 served during Gulf War (August 1990 to August 2001) and Gulf War (September 2001 or later).
• 294,251 served during Gulf War (August 1990 to August 2001) and the Vietnam Era.
• 175,676 served during the Korean War and the Vietnam Era.
• 92,670 served during World War II and the Korean War.

Sources: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/B21002

Where They Live

3: Number of states with 1 million or more veterans in 2013. These states were California (1.7 million), Texas (1.5 million) and Florida (1.5 million).
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/S2101/0100000US.04000

Education

26.8%: Percent of veterans 25 years and older with a bachelor's degree or higher in 2013. In comparison, 29.9 percent of nonveterans had a bachelor's degree or higher.
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/S2101

29.1%: Percent of veterans 25 years and older in 2013 whose highest educational attainment was a high school diploma or equivalency in 2013, compared with 27.7 percent of the nonveteran population.
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/S2101

Income

$36,381: Annual median income of veterans in 2013, compared with $25,820 for the nonveteran population.
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/B21004

On the Job

7.7 million: Number of veterans 18 to 64 years old in the labor force in 2013, of those 7.1 million were employed.

Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/C21005

Service Connected Disabilities

3.6 million: Number of veterans with a service-connected disability rating in 2013. Of this number, 957,504 had a rating of 70 percent or higher. A "service-connected" disability is one that was a result of a disease or injury incurred or aggravated during active military service. Severity of one's disability is scaled from 0 to 100 percent, and eligibility for compensation depends on one's rating.
Source: 2013 American Community Survey
http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/13_1YR/B21100

Voting

14.7 million: Number of veterans who voted in the 2012 presidential election. Seventy percent of veterans cast a ballot in that election, compared with 61.8 percent of all U.S. citizens 18 years and older.
Source: Table 13. Reported Voting and Registration, by Sex, Veteran Status, and Age: November 2012
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/socdemo/voting/publications/p20/2012/tables.html

12.4 million: Number of veterans who voted in the 2010 congressional election. Fifty-seven percent of veterans voted in that election, compared with 45.5 percent of all U.S. citizens 18 years and older.
Source: Table 13. Reported Voting and Registration, by Sex, Veteran Status, and Age: November 2010
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/socdemo/voting/publications/p20/2010/tables.html

And in this corner, Nancy Brinker!

For more than three decades, Nancy Goodman Brinker has been fighting breast cancer. But now she is using boxing gloves. Literally.

Well, at least the founder of Susan G. Komen For The Cure has found a good way to work off some of the frustration she feels with today's politicians and the continuous decrease of government funding for cancer research.

"I started boxing about eight months ago. I go three or four times a week and just let out my frustration. It really is a great way to rid yourself of anger. And I am angry," said Brinker, former U.S. ambassador to Hungary and the U.S. Chief of Protocol under President George W. Bush who was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, by Barack Obama in 2009.

Her anger is with the political leadership in the country today that she believes is leaving the country stagnant and hurting cancer research. Funding has been cut so drastically that many of today's best young scientists are turning to other endeavors. "We have built this amazing infrastructure and we come have such a long way. But it is the young scientists that the new approaches come from. We have all this amazing science but not enough funding. We have such a long way to go. My job is far from finished," she said.

Brinker spoke to The Peorian before she presented the Distinguished Entrepreneur Lecture at Bradley University on Tuesday. More than 100 students, faculty and staff attended the lecture at the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center. Brinker, born and raised in Peoria, was also presented the school's annual Distinguished Entrepreneur Award.

Brinker was introduced by Bradley President Joanne Glasser, herself a two time breast cancer survivor. Pointing out that Bradley's Turner School of Entrepreneurship is the only free-standing school of entrepreneurship in the country, Glasser said Brinker's work in establishing Susan G. Komen For The Cure was a prime example of successful social entrepreneurship. She further said Brinker was a pioneer in cause-related marketing in making the Race For The Cure the largest fundraising event in the world.

Noting it started as a promise Brinker made to her older sister Susan Komen as she was dying from breast cancer at the age of 36, Glasser said she "went from a bereaved sister to the world leader in the fight to end breast cancer."

In her lecture Brinker said her start in social entrepreneurship came when she was 5 years old. She and Susan were scolded by their mother, Ellie Goodman, for not wanting to be stewards for helping the less fortunate while driving to a charity event. The Goodman girls often accompanied their mother to such events but that day they wanted to go swimming instead.

That night, she said, Susan came to her room and said she figured out a way they could be stewards; they would stage a song-and-dance show in their back yard to raise money for victims of polio. "From then on, I always knew I'd do something with my life to raise money to help others," she said.

Her mentors included her father, Marvin Goodman, who built Metro Centre in Peoria, and her late husband Norman Brinker, founder of a food corporation that included Chili's and other well-known restaurants.

Brinker told her audience how her effort to fight breast cancer started with 11 of her friends who met in her living room, discussed the idea and pooled the money they had on them at the time to get started. They put $200 in a shoe box. To date, that effort has raised more than $2.5 billion for research and awareness. Some of the cancer-fighting drugs on the market today were started 20 to 25 years ago.

Her message was that success would take perseverance, the ability to rely on others and maximizing the abilities of those others. Without those, she added, the Komen organization would not have been able to grow from a dozen women in her living room to hundreds of affiliates worldwide.

In her conversation with The Peorian, Brinker talked of her parents and how each guided her through their entrepreneurial skills and a desire to help others overcome obstacles.

"To be an entrepreneur takes courage, a faith in your abilities to succeed and faith in your country. Entrepreneurship is the heart and soul of America and it represents the freedom to practice what you are passionate about," she said. “If you don’t have that passion, if you don’t love what you are doing, you won’t make it.”

She quickly found her passion in fighting breast cancer, but added she is never satisfied regardless of how much has been done since she started more than 32 years ago. “We’ve been at this more than a generation. I admit thinking when I started that it wouldn’t take too long, but some of the therapeutics coming on the market now were started 20 to 25 years ago. It takes a long time,” she said.

She cited one of her role models, Madame Marie Curie, who said, "One never notices what has been done. One only see what remains to be done."

Therein lies her frustration. She believes researches are close to significant breakthroughs in preventing breast cancer, including the ability to map a woman's genomes if she is predisposed to the disease to know when cells start to turn. But without enough funding that could take longer to become reality.

There has been progress, including an estimate by her organization that its work has helped reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer by 25 percent. The five-year survival rate is now 99 percent and social barriers to getting women tested so that breast cancer can be detected early are coming down. The latter, Brinker said, "has shown early detection works. It works."

Brinker would love for her job to end, but she doesn't see it happening in her lifetime. She refuses to give up the fight, however. "I won't stop. That's the way I am."

New hands-on group 'making' things happen

Today’s generation is disconnected from the physical world, lacking interest in subjects such as math and science as well as interpersonal communication skills.

But there is a growing culture popping up all over the world that is filled with people who want to be a part of the “old-fashioned” way of doing things. They call themselves “makers” and they want to get their name out there.

“In the ‘60s and ‘70s, building and fixing things in your own garage was the thing. But no one does that anymore. Through the ‘80s and ‘90s, people stopped doing things themselves and began to rely on other people to do it for them. We wanted to create a group with people who want to start fixing and building things again,” explained Joe Spanier, publicity chair of River City Labs, a local group of makers.

The group meets each Thursday at 6 p.m. in the middle of Studio 825, which sits across from the restaurant Sugar located in Peoria’s Warehouse District. Members get together to share ideas and work on a variety of projects. “It’s all a part of the ‘do-it-yourself’ infrastructure for people who want to start projects,” Spanier said.

Currently, they are working on making their own electronic vending machine from which they will someday be able to purchase items such as LEDs, resistors, and other electronic items in case someone has the sudden need for an item while working on a project.

A project that Jay Babin, director at large for River City Labs, is looking forward to starting is his attempt to create a clone of his garden gargoyle so that he can have two. He plans to make a mold using software on a homemade 3D printer.

Another member, as a joke for his boss, used the 3D printer to create his own Pez dispenser top that looks like boss’s head. One of the two female members of the group who is a ceramic pottery artist wants to someday build her own kiln.

Other projects that members have made include making airplane parts and a scale model of their building using a drone, which they also enjoy racing.

 “A lot of us get ADD and start playing around but that’s ok. A lot of useful concepts get thrown around,” said Spanier.

Not all projects they work on are individual projects of leisure. They are also part of E-Nable, an online community made of “passionate volunteers” who make and sell low-priced, affordable prosthetics for children in Third World countries and less fortunate children in the United States.

“It’s really nice to know that a child who was born missing fingers or even an entire hand can now play catch with his brother,” Spanier said.

River City Labs is built solely from its member base. The group receives no outside help, no grants or any financial assistance. But, of course, donations are always welcome.

Monetary donations are helpful but the group also welcomes the donations of tools and old functioning computers and machines. Most of what members have, such as their CNC machines,  was donated by Probotix. “The owner of Probotix started out building things in his basement so they are highly supportive of what we’re doing,” Spanier said.

The main focus of River City Labs is to educate others and share ideas with people who are interested in the manufacturing of anything. Having previous experience or copious amounts of IT knowledge is not necessary. Sharing and collaborating ideas is what makers thrive on and diversity is the key.

“There is room for anyone who does anything. Saying that you can’t do something or that you don’t know enough is no excuse. People come here to learn. Anyone can learn. That’s the point. People always make excuses saying that they don’t know anything or ‘I want to make this but you guys don’t do that.’ That is no excuse! Everything is welcome,” Spanier said. Classes are scheduled periodically to help those who want to learn.

Thursday nights are official meeting nights for members; however, every last Thursday of the month the meeting is open to the public. River City Labs also participates in First Friday each month. Interested individuals can attend four times before becoming a member.

Currently, there are 22 members but the group wants to expand. The goal is to expand to 30 members by the end of the year. One doesn’t have to know a member in order to attend.

“When the group first started, only two people knew each other. Everyone else was total strangers. We were all just people who were laid back, fun and had similar ideas,” Spanier said.

The group started at a Peoria Tech Talkers gathering. “Afterwards I just said, ‘Hey. I want to start a Makers group. Who wants to join?’ and they all said, ‘I do!’ and it was all history from there. It was that simple. We planned to meet up at 3030 Coffee that Sunday to talk about it and when we did everyone showed up and brought friends with them. That was in November of 2013. We became official in June of this year.”

Membership is $35 a month for a standard membership. There are several benefits of being a member depending upon the level of membership. A discount of 10% is given to those holding an annual membership. Other benefits include free classes, a key to the workspace, and 24-hour access.

“This is a warm, friendly environment. We just ask that you have a good attitude,” he said.

If interested in joining or for more information, visit http://rivercitylabs.org/.

Boomers: Prepare for long-term care needs

Every day until 2029, about 10,000 baby boomers will turn 65.  Most are unprepared for the consequence of aging.

"Americans are living longer and we all want to age with dignity, independence and choice but that requires planning that few undertake," declaresJesse Slome, director of theAmerican Association for Long-Term Care Insurance(AALTCI). 

November marks Long-Term Care Awareness Month, an opportunity for boomers to begin the conversation and determine if their financial plan can withstand the costs associated with living a long life.

"Too many families wait to address long-term care and find they have very limited options once care is needed," addsTiffany Albert, president and CEO ofLifeSecure Insurance Company, a LTC insurance provider and supporter of LTCAM.  "Planning ahead is critical to ensure care is received in a preferred setting, such as at home, and avoid serious consequences that will impact the entire family."

Few boomers recognize that most who reach age 65 will need some form of long-term care. "Government has no plan in place to deal with the needs of millions of aging boomers and few have set aside money to cover costs," Slome notes. "Initiating conversations may be difficult, but having them now ensures that a plan is created that reflects your wishes and prepares and engages those you love."

Slome and Albert urge boomers to evaluate their options and preferences.

"People mistakenly associate long-term care with nursing home care, but most care actually takes place at home or in the community," Slome acknowledges. "Either way, the costs are significant as is the toll on loved ones who typically are called on to provide care. Long-term care insurance can be an affordable option but many wait too long so it's not available because they're either too ill or it's too expensive."

According to AALTCI's Awareness Month report, over half (54%) of new long-term care insurance applicants are between ages 55 and 64. Insurers paid about$7.5 billionin claim payments to more than 273,000 policyholders last year. Over half (51%) of new claims were for home care services and women accounted for 64% of claims.

To learn more aboutlong-term care insurance planningincluding ways to reduce costs for this important protection, read five free consumer guides available on the AALTCI's website or call 818-597-3227.