Jason Brezler in the market of Nowzad on May 7, 2010, with village elders, Afghan National Police and U.S. Marines. Maj. Brezler is now facing a possible discharge from the Marines after he emailed classified documents. Monique Jaques/Getty Images hide caption

Coning left the Marines in 2013. His wife says she thinks it's likely he had post-traumatic stress disorder, but he was never tested for it by the VA. Courtesy of the Coning family hide caption

Maximilian Uriarte wrote and illustrated The White Donkey, a graphic novel that highlights the tedium of deployment. "I think you can get a lot more nuance, a lot more meaning out of a story that isn't based in some kind of grand battle," he says. Courtesy of Little Brown and Co. hide caption

Psychologist Diane Adams devotes a portion of her private practice in Renton, Wash., to veterans. But she said the bureaucracy involved in the Veterans Choice program has proved frustrating and veterans have had a hard time getting approval to see her. Patricia Murphy/KUOW hide caption

Soldiers, officers and civilian employees attend a ceremony for the U.S. Army's annual observance of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month in March 2015 in Arlington, Virginia. According to the Pentagon, the initiative is "meant to reinforce a climate of dignity and respect founded on good order and discipline." Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

Navy veteran Amanda Wirtz looks through her correspondence with the Veterans Choice program. After the VA couldn't get her an appointment with a specialist, it sent her to the Choice program. But she still was unable to get an appointment for several months. Courtesy of KPBS hide caption

"Some days I wake up and go, 'Am I wasting time, when I could be on chemotherapy or getting a surgery?' " asks Tony Lapinski, a Montana veteran who worries about what is causing his severe back pain. Michael Albans for NPR hide caption

The Spartan sword was forged from steel that was part of the World Trade Center when it came down on 9/11. The sword was created to inspire veterans to take the "Spartan Pledge" - a promise made between veterans not to commit suicide. Quil Lawrence/NPR hide caption

Stacy Bannerman testifies before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs in 2006. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc./Getty Images hide caption