Good Question: Who Serves In Our Armed Forces?

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Donald Trump has come under fire for comments he made about the family of a fallen Muslim-American soldier.

Captain Humayan Khan was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004.

The Trump-Khan controversy has shed light on how diverse our military is.

So who serves in our Armed Forces? Good Question.

There are more than 1.3 million active military personnel in our Armed Forces, and over 800,000 reserves.

Those numbers remain steady, but the backgrounds of the men and women who are serving our country are changing.

But, the majority of our military members have similar characteristics.

According to the Department of Defense, men make up 85 percent of our Armed Forces. And nearly 70 percent of active duty members are white.

"Overwhelmingly, the number one reason people join is to serve. And they join to serve their community, their state and their nation," said Lt. Col. Mike Pazdernik of the Minnesota National Guard.

"Each year around 4,000 Minnesotans join the military," said Pazdernik.

About 2,000 of those Minnesotans end up in the National Guard. Those numbers are pretty consistent, but other statistics are changing.

"We've had a 7 percent increase in the last four years in the number of race/ethnic/diverse folks that join," said Pazdernik.

It's a trend that's happening in many states across the nation. That's not necessarily the case when it comes to religion.

According to the Pentagon, more than 5,000 Muslims serve in the U.S. military. That's less than 1 percent. The majority of our Armed Forces are Catholic at just under 24 percent.

But Pazdernik said men and women of all different backgrounds play an equally important role in protecting our country.

"Here in Minnesota, we have strived to increase our diversity so that we better reflect the communities we serve," said Pazdernik.

Another interesting stat: Over the past few years in Minnesota there has been a 3 percent increase in the number of women joining the National Guard.

Nationally, white men make up the majority of our Armed Forces -- and so do young adults.

When talking about age, the majority of our military members are age 25 and younger.