Each Veterans Day, Americans honor military members for their service. Those who are still alive will be thanked and celebrated by businesses and events around the country.
Since its founding by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, Veterans Day honors American veterans of all wars. But this year marks the 70th anniversary of V-J Day, and as such, is cause to remember those 16,112,566 Americans who fought in World War II.
Using data from the National Archives and Records Administration, MooseRoots visualized the impact of World War II in terms of enlistment, casualties and prisoners of war (POWs).
The six-year world war caused the second-most American casualties and wounded soldiers after the Civil War—405,399 and 670,846 people, respectively.
New York sent the most people to war, with 941,427 enlistees. Pennsylvania and California were also highly represented. A significant number of these soldiers were only 19 years old.
The state with the highest number of captured Americans was also New York, with 9,935 POWs. Pennsylvania closely followed with 9,653.
Explore the visualizations below to learn more about the affect WWII had on the American people, and to commemorate the brave women and men who have put (and those who still put) their lives on the line for their country.