When the Last Witnesses Are Gone
Quick answer: How many American World War II veterans are still alive?
According to the National WWII Museum, about 30,600 of the 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II are still alive in 2026, fewer than two-tenths of one percent. Soon no one will be left to tell us firsthand what it was like, which is why John urges families to ask their questions while someone can still answer.
Growing up, John spent time around the World War II veterans who came through his family's car dealership. Some of their stories were funny, and others were about dangerous missions and friends who never came home. He wishes he had asked better questions and written down their names. Eighty-one years after the war ended, the National WWII Museum counts about 30,600 American World War II veterans still living, out of 16.4 million who served. John traces how the war still shapes American life, from the United Nations and the postwar alliances to the GI Bill and new momentum for the civil rights movement. He tells the story of Captain Joseph Dawson of Company G, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, who made his way toward the bluffs above Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, and destroyed a German machine gun position with a grenade, helping open a route for his men. He recalls Elie Wiesel's warning that without memory the future itself is in danger, and President Reagan honoring the Rangers at Pointe du Hoc in 1984 with many of those veterans in the audience. Preserving these stories is part of the Heroes' Path mission. John asks readers to start now: record the stories, identify the people in old photographs, keep the letters, find out where your parents and grandparents were and what changed them, and tell those stories to your children.
Why it matters for leaders: The most useful lessons come from people who had to decide under fire, like Dawson with his men depending on him, and those firsthand accounts survive only when someone asks for them and writes them down.
Q: How many American World War II veterans are still alive?
A: The National WWII Museum, using Department of Veterans Affairs figures, reports about 30,600 living in 2026, out of 16.4 million who served.
Q: What does John suggest families do now?
A: Ask the questions while there is still someone who can answer, record the stories, identify the people in photographs, preserve the letters, and pass the stories on to your children.
Read the full essay on Substack → https://heroespath.substack.com/p/when-the-last-witnesses-are-gone
By John Fenzel, founder and CEO of Heroes' Path Foundation