What’s your number?

I am part of the 1%.

No, not THAT 1%. I’m part of the 1% of the U.S. population currently serving in the military today. Many who read this blog are part of that 1% too; or maybe the  9% of Veterans in America today.

Numbers get thrown around when discussing policies and new initiatives. I think it’s important to remember the numbers that relate to our military and Veterans. Here are a few:

2.1 million Service Members have deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation New Dawn (OND).

250,000 women have deployed in support of the current overseas operations. That’s 11% of the deployed forces. Women make up 15% of the current military forces.

4,930 Service Members have been killed in action (KIA) from OEF/OIF/OND, 46,664 have been wounded.

Are you part of the 11% of Veterans currently struggling to find work? The national unemployment average for civilians is 9%.

Or you could be one of the 107,000 Veterans who are homeless on any given night.

One in Five women Veterans reported experiencing Military Sexual Trauma (MST), male Veterans report at a rate of one in one hundred.

Vietnam Veterans experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at a rate of 31%, Gulf War Era experience PTSD at a rate of 10% and the current estimates for OIF/OEF are at 14%.