It's been 148 years, and the US is still paying relatives of Civil War veterans every month. Two surviving children of veterans receive $876 annually, and while that may amount to a paltry sum, the AP's analysis of the continuing costs of US wars turns up much heftier figure: $40 billion each year, which goes to vets and survivors from the Spanish-American War (yes, of 1898), World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the two Iraq campaigns, and the Afghanistan conflict. A breakdown of the numbers, and the fascinating tidbits that accompany them:
- Vietnam War veterans and relatives receive some $22 billion per year, a figure that the AP points out is twice the FBI budget. That's in part because the US compensates vets with diabetes, based on an "uncertain link" to Agent Orange.