Tommy Sowers, assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs at the Department of Veterans Affairs, meets with vets at the VFW Hall in Nome, Alaska. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption
Quil Lawrence Quil Lawrence is a New York-based correspondent for NPR News, covering veterans' issues nationwide.
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Frankie Kuzuguk, 82, gets a hug from his daughter Marilyn Kuzuguk at Quyanna Care Center in Nome, Alaska, after receiving an official honorable discharge and a distinguished service coin from visiting Veterans Affairs officials. The VA is still tracking down the few surviving members of the World War II Alaska Territorial Guard or delivering benefits to their next of kin. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption
A woman holds the door for her daughter at the entrance to the Wales community center, where a meeting for local veterans turned into a gathering for many of the villagers in the tiny town. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption
Myla Haider (shown at a press conference in Washington, D.C., in 2011) says she initially decided not to report that she'd been raped because she'd "never met one victim who was able to report the crime and still retain their military career." Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Jamie Livingston was sexually abused while serving in the Navy. She now lives in El Paso, Texas. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption
NPR Veterans Correspondent Quil Lawrence in Afghanistan. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption
Staff Sgt. Jessica Keown, with the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division at Fort Bliss in El Paso Texas, served with a female engagement team, or FET, in Afghanistan. David Gilkey/NPR hide caption
Sgt. Jaclyn O'Shea (second from left) and Sgt. Alyssa Corcoran (right) stand with Afghan commandos in Logar province, Afghanistan. Courtesy of Jaclyn O'Shea hide caption
As part of homecoming ceremonies at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state in January, Army Spc. Tyler Jeffries — with crutches and prosthetic legs — joins his unit in formation as the national anthem is played. The homecoming marked the first time Jeffries had seen his platoon since he lost both his legs in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan last October. Florangela Davila for NPR hide caption
Shooting Of 'American Sniper' Raises Questions About PTSD Treatment
David Easterling, manager of the Suicide Prevention Program at Fort Riley in Kansas spray-paints Army boots white in 2009 as part of an on-base display to commemorate the six Fort Riley soldiers who committed suicide in 2008. Chris Hondros/Getty Images hide caption