Special Report U.S. Military And Civilians Are Increasingly Divided

[Purveyor]

-Despite civilians' widespread admiration for troops, there's little overlap between their worlds
-Congress with lowest rate of military service authorized today's wars, led by 3 presidents with no active duty
-One-half of 1% of U.S. population enlisted — lowest rate since between World War I and II

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"In our family, there's a deep sense that being American means serving — showing gratitude by giving back to your country," Graves-Rivers said.

Multi-generational military families like the Graveses form the heart of the all-volunteer Army, which increasingly is drawing its ranks from the relatively small pool of Americans with historic family, cultural or geographic connections to military service.

While the U.S. waged a war in Vietnam 50 years ago with 2.7 million men conscripted from every segment of society, less than one-half of 1% of the U.S. population is in the armed services today — the lowest rate since World War II. America's recent wars are authorized by a U.S. Congress whose members have the lowest rate of military service in history, led by three successive commanders in chief who never served on active duty.

Surveys suggest that as many as 80% of those who serve come from a family in which a parent or sibling is also in the military. They often live in relative isolation — behind the gates of military installations such as Ft. Bragg or in the deeply military communities like Fayetteville, N.C., that surround them.

The segregation is so pronounced that it can be traced on a map: Some 49% of the 1.3 million active-duty service members in the U.S. are concentrated in just five states — California, Virginia, Texas, North Carolina and Georgia.

more...

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-warrior-main-20150524-story.html#navtype=outfit&page=1

[GeorgeGist]

1. I suspect most civilians are aware ...

for whom the military serves.