Veterans: Help reporters cover the modern veteran experience

America is learning how to serve a new generation of veterans. More than 1.5 million people served in Afghanistan and Iraq and they are returning home to economic uncertainty, government bureaucracy, and a culture that doesn't always understand the experience of war.

Reporters here at American Public Media want your help telling the story of the modern veteran experience. We've been reporting on wait times at Dept. of Veterans Affairs offices for a few months now and we'd like to know about your post-war thoughts and experiences.

We may include your insights in our upcoming stories or contact you to find out more. Thanks for your time.

(Photo by Mira Oberman, AFP | Getty Images)

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First Name *

Last Name *

E-mail *

City

State or Province

Postal Code *

Country

Phone

How are you connected to the military?

I am currently in the military.
I'm a veteran.
I have a family member who serves or has served.
Other

Please explain.

When people who have no experience in the military learn about your military experience, what one question do you wish they would ask that they do not?

What one question do you wish they would never ask at all?

What were some of the greatest challenges you faced when you left active duty? Were they physical? Psychological? Financial? Social? Something else?

We've done a lot of reporting on the backlog in VA disability claims. Are you waiting on a claim now?

We want to hear about the new ways that veterans are finding support and building community. Tell us about veterans' organizations, social groups, programs, resources, clubs, teams, or businesses, big or small, that we might not have heard about -- especially those that you have found particularly innovative or useful.

What else should we know that would make our understanding of the modern veteran experience more complete?

If you have an original photo that helps illustrate what you described above, or just of yourself -- in or out of uniform -- please upload it here. (No larger than 10MB, please.)

Tell us a little about the photo: name(s), date, location, and the story behind it.

May we publish your insights (and any uploaded files) and attribute them to you? (Your comments may be edited for length or clarity.) *

Yes.
No.
Contact me first.

And now, three final quick questions to help us better understand your perspective:

In what year were you born?

When did you serve, where, and in what branch of the military?

What do you do for work now?

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