Editing Greatest Generation (section)

====Later years and legacy====
[[File:Ruth Harden WWII memorial dedication ceremony Delaware.jpg|thumb|right|US Navy veteran Ruth Harden sings as "[[Anchors Aweigh]]" is played during the dedication ceremony of the World War II memorial at [[Delaware Legislative Hall|Legislative Hall]] in Dover, Delaware, November 9, 2013.]]

According to a 2004 study done by [[AARP]], "There are 26 million people aged 77 or older in the United States. These people are largely conservative on economic (59%) and social (49%) issues, and about one-third of
them say they have become more conservative on economic, social, foreign policy, moral, and legal issues as they have aged. Over 9 in 10 (91%) of this age group are registered to vote and 90% voted in the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 presidential election]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Love |first1=Jeffrey |title=Political Behavior and Values Across the Generations |url=https://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/general/politics_values.pdf |website=aarp.org |publisher=[[AARP]] |access-date=January 4, 2021 |page=3 |date=July 2004 |archive-date=October 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020065317/https://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/general/politics_values.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The last member of this generation to be elected president was [[George H. W. Bush]] (1989–1993), and the last surviving president from this generation was [[Jimmy Carter]] (1977–1981). In its latter years, this generation was introduced to continued technological advancements such as mobile phones and the Internet.

As of 2024 some 66,000 (under 1%) of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II remain alive.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/wwii-veteran-statistics | title=WWII Veteran Statistics }}</ref> Living members of this generation are either in their late 90s or are [[centenarians]].

The lives of this generation are a common element of popular culture in the western world,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kenny |first1=Glenn |title=World War II According To Hollywood's Greatest Generation |url=https://decider.com/2016/05/30/best-world-war-ii-movies/ |website=decider.com |publisher=[[New York Post]] |access-date=September 16, 2021 |date=May 30, 2016 |archive-date=September 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916193813/https://decider.com/2016/05/30/best-world-war-ii-movies/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and media related to this generation's experiences continues to be produced.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ringel-Cater |first1=Eleanor |title=The Movie Biz: The Greatest Generation's war |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2017/07/28/the-movie-biz-the-greatest-generations-war.html |website=bizjournals.com |publisher=[[Atlanta Business Chronicle]] |access-date=September 16, 2021 |date=July 28, 2017 |archive-date=December 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221217010507/https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2017/07/28/the-movie-biz-the-greatest-generations-war.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The romanticizing of this generation has faced criticism by some.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Palaima |first1=Thomas |title=Consider War Stories Without Romanticizing Them |url=https://lifeandletters.la.utexas.edu/2018/11/consider-war-stories-without-romanticizing-them/ |website=lifeandletters.la.utexas.edu |publisher=[[The University of Texas at Austin]] |access-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-date=January 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124004645/https://lifeandletters.la.utexas.edu/2018/11/consider-war-stories-without-romanticizing-them/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Klinkenberg |first1=Kevin |title=Dangerous Nostalgia: Why Romanticizing the 1950s and 1960s Won't Get Us Anywhere |url=https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2019/9/3/dangerous-nostalgia-why-romanticizing-the-1950s-and-1960s-wont-get-us-anywhere |website=strongtowns.org |access-date=January 6, 2021 |date=September 4, 2019 |archive-date=November 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106153150/https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2019/9/3/dangerous-nostalgia-why-romanticizing-the-1950s-and-1960s-wont-get-us-anywhere |url-status=live }}</ref> However, some also praise the traits and actions of this generation and cite their sacrifices as a lesson for current generations.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hanson |first1=Victor |title=What Millennials Can Learn From the Greatest Generation |url=https://www.newsweek.com/what-millennials-can-learn-greatest-generation-766296 |access-date=January 6, 2021 |agency=[[Newsweek]] |date=January 1, 2018 |archive-date=January 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116010006/https://www.newsweek.com/what-millennials-can-learn-greatest-generation-766296 |url-status=live }}</ref>

During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], living members of this generation have been impacted by the pandemic, such as Major Lee Wooten, who was treated in hospital for covid and recovered just before his 104th birthday in 2020; he died aged 105.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jackson |first1=Amanda |title=A 104-year-old World War II veteran from Alabama has survived Covid-19 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/06/us/104-year-old-veteran-covid-trnd/index.html |access-date=January 8, 2021 |agency=[[CNN]] |date=December 6, 2020 |archive-date=December 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208101926/https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/06/us/104-year-old-veteran-covid-trnd/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Major Wooten Obituary – Huntsville, AL |url=https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/huntsville-al/major-wooten-10949183 |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=Dignity Memorial |language=en-us}}</ref>