The Demography of Mortality Disadvantage Among Male U.S. Veterans in Later Life: New Evidence From the Health and...

Using the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this article explores the association between military service and mortality among American men over age 50 between 1992 and 2020. Cox regressions show veterans who served during wartime have consistently higher mortality than nonveterans across major conflicts of the 20th century. Peacetime service does not increase mortality significantly, but Hispanic peacetime veterans have lower mortality than other Hispanic veterans and nonveterans. Using a much larger set of survey data than has been used previously, the findings here reveal a different age profile than found in some previous research. In particular, the 50s and 60s are particularly sensitive life stages for wartime veterans, especially for the Vietnam-era veterans. Finally, this analysis suggests some potential health benefits from military service-even in wartime-but, on balance, the negative consequences of warmaking are stronger and extend well into later life.