No, they aren't. I see a lot of these hand-waving articles that decry statistics that 1/2 of a percent of the population is on active duty and then use that as a basis for how segregated from society the military is. The largest majority of our all-volunteer force does one or two enlistments, and then returns to civilian life. Here are some statistics(warning: pdf) from the VA on the number of veterans currently in the US.
A substantial minority have served, and will continue to serve and then return to civilian life, especially with the proposed retirement reforms.
Using a snapshot of those currently serving is sloppy reporting. Meaningless, at best.
No, they aren't. I see a lot of these hand-waving articles that decry statistics that 1/2 of a percent of the population is on active duty and then use that as a basis for how segregated from society the military is. The largest majority of our all-volunteer force does one or two enlistments, and then returns to civilian life. Here are some statistics(warning: pdf) from the VA on the number of veterans currently in the US.
A substantial minority have served, and will continue to serve and then return to civilian life, especially with the proposed retirement reforms.
Using a snapshot of those currently serving is sloppy reporting. Meaningless, at best.
Edit: spelling