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World War II

Veterans Day: 5 facts about surviving WWII veterans

Jolie Lee
USA TODAY Network
World War II U.S. Army Air Corps veteran Bill Varnadoe takes part as military veterans were honored during the Heart of the Valley YMCA 9th Annual Veterans Prayer Breakfast at the Hogan Family YMCA, Nov. 7, 2014 in Madison, Ala.

Americans honor veterans and active members of the military Tuesday on Veterans Day. Among the vets celebrated in 2014 are people who served in World War II. Here are some lesser-known stats about surviving WWII vets:

1. About 16 million Americans served during World War II. There are now more than one million living WWII veterans, as of Jan. 1, 2014.

2. An estimated 413 WWII vets die each day.

3. By 2036, there will probably be no more living WWII vets.

4. Most living WWII vets are in their nineties.

5. The average soldier was 26 years old in 1944. Sailors and marines were generally younger.

(Sources: National WWII Museum, Department of Veterans Affairs)

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