The reasons our nation’s men and women who have served in the United States military forces are many and varied. Each veteran or member of the United States military forces has her or his story about the day the day of the oath and the period leading up to that day.

The Department of Veterans Affairs shows 939,069 Pennsylvania veterans as of September 30, 2014. The United States Census Bureau says that 35,o58 veterans are in Lancaster County. Those numbers of course are highly fluid due to daily enlistments and, of course, deaths of older veterans.

“There are still more than 1.7 million Americans alive who served in World War II, but that number is dwindling fast.” says this CNN report. That report also shows “a look at who fought in past U.S. wars and who’s still alive today.”

Of course, today’s warriors are the next “greatest generation.”

Sergeant Major of the Army Raymond F. Chandler III said, “We also need to honor those volunteers who’ve chosen to go into harm’s way, those young men and women 18 and 19 years of age who said, ‘if not me, who?’ and ‘this we’ll defend.’ They are today’s amazing individuals and they are the next greatest generation for our nation to honor as we do here today.” – Military.com

Military recruiters are always ready to talk with young people about their individual service as a next-step career choice.

For those who who are thinking about this noble profession, the Today’s Military Website provides a valuable insight into today’s military.

“The Today’s Military Website is produced by the United States Department of Defense. This site is not intended as a recruiting tool for any branch of the U.S. Military. Rather, it was developed as a resource for parents, educators and young adults curious about military service.”