The linked National Journal article, regarding the diminishing number of veterans in Congress, comes in the wake of Senator Daniel Inouye’s death. Senator Inouye had a remarkable career in both the House of Representatives and Senate. He was a member of Congress since Hawaii achieved its statehood in 1959. Prior to his career in politics, Senator Inouye served in WWII in a regiment of Japanese-Americans and was awarded a Medal of Honor for his bravery.
The National Journal article documents the diminishing number of veterans in Congress from WWI until today. The 113th Senate will only have 18 veterans. This number is significantly down from the post-WWII peak of 81 in 1977. Further, there will be only three members of Congress who were WWII veterans: Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey; Representative Ralph Hall of Texas; and Representative John Dingell of Michigan.
I’m not sure what this says about American politics today, but the article has definitely prompted me to read more about Senator Inouye’s remarkable life over the holidays.