SCOUTING REPORT | Disappearing veterans, Pierre’s river benches, teaching kids to ride, goodbye Prairie Berry

A weekly digest of interesting local, state, national and even international developments

In honor of Veterans Day, the U.S. Census Bureau published its most recent snapshot of that population. The data paint a stark picture: Much of the country has become detached from the military, and many U.S. citizens might not even know who serve or have served in the military. 

Just 6.1 percent of the civilian population had served in the military, according to Census. That means a country of 330 million people leans heavily on the few who do serve. Census estimates South Dakota’s population at 7.8 percent.

That number is not a surprise. Following its conflict in Vietnam, the United States gave up the draft and switched to an all-volunteer force. Men who might have spent two years in the military now spend none. Meanwhile, the generation that served during World War II in large numbers is now nearly extinct. As those men – once subject to the draft – leave us, the numbers will continue to fall at their current trajectory.

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