There are not 43,000,000 living vets....
In 1990 there were 27,619,205
In 2000 there were 26,549,704
This represents a 3.9% drop ( -1,069,501 )
We are an ever shrinking and fractured minority. The more in-fighting we have amongst all the various groups who are supposed to represent veterans concerns and among each other,
the more we will get screwed by all the politicians, until there are so few of us they can just ignore us...not unlike what they have been doing for the past 85 years.
Source :
http://www.va.gov/vetdata/Census2000...2000vs1990.pdf
Larry