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Soldier-perpetrated sex crimes are under-reported, but the Defense Department estimates about 19,000 assaults occurred last year. Veterans who are victims of sexual assault recently convened for the first-ever summit on military sexual violence.

Memorial Day may be the symbolic start of summer, but for the families of men and women who died serving in the Armed Forces, it’s a day for reflection and remembrance.

The Metropolitan Museum, the Guggenheim and the New Museum are among the roughly 40 museums in New York City that will offer free admission to active-duty military service members and their families — including those active in the Reserves and the National Guard — this summer. See a list of some of the participating Tri-State area museums.

For many New Yorkers, yoga is more than exercise — it's a tool to relieve stress. That's what one yoga instructor had in mind when she started a class for military veterans.

The military wants to encourage more veterans to get treatment if they think they have PTSD. But that would add more cases to an already overburdened system.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined a panel of leaders from the military, government, media and the nonprofit sector Monday attempting to address the challenges of helping veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The unemployment rate for newer veterans stands at 10.3 percent, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But for some, the job skills they gained in the military are translating into civilian jobs back home.  

The Department of Veterans Affairs says any veteran who seeks mental health services gets help within days. But a new investigation by the agency's inspector general says the statistics are skewed to make wait times appear shorter. The VA will have a chance at a Senate hearing Wednesday to explain how it's going to do better.

Recent vets are confronting life back home, as combat missions in Iraq have wrapped up. Some of them are choosing to use their war-time experiences to help other vets who're having a harder time making the transition back to civilian life.

An annual four-day bike ride organized by the Wounded Warrior Project is being held across the country this week. One Marine says the ride gives them back the camaraderie they had in the military. "You look back and you got guys missing legs, missing arms — it doesn't matter. We're just all riding together."

When Jeff Barillaro returned from fighting the war in Iraq, he felt lost. Now known as "Soldier Hard," he's rapping about how war has changed troops and their families. His music is developing a following among other vets and their families, who say his music speaks to them and makes them feel less alone.

Michelle Obama has been everywhere from a West Point mess hall to a NASCAR speedway in the past year to drum up support for military families through her "joining forces" campaign. On Wednesday, she marked the program's one-year anniversary by taking stock of what's been done and challenging Americans to do even more.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn and other elected officials announced forthcoming legislation to reform the Veterans Property Tax Exemption on Wednesday.

Veterans, with their post-Sept. 11 education benefits, have been an important driver in the growth of for-profit colleges and universities in recent years. Some lawmakers say for-profit schools are ripping off veterans, and the government, by luring students into programs that seldom lead to good jobs.

Under the state’s new budget plan, four New York counties — Suffolk, Saratoga, Jefferson, and Rensselaer — are set to receive $200,000 each, to launch a pilot peer support program to help veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury.

Schools are enrolling hundreds of thousands of recent veterans and servicemembers due to the drawdown in Iraq and Post 9/11 GI Bill. But the education benefit is not helping all of them make the transition from military life to getting a college degree. Learn more and watch video of veterans featured in this story here.

More than 1,300 veterans attended a special hiring fair on the USS Intrepid Wednesday as part of a weeklong nationwide effort to get veterans back into the workforce.

Growing awareness about PTSD has had a downside, namely that civilians now assume veterans are likely to have psychological issues. Yet while in the military, many say they feel pressure to hide their problems. The recent mass shooting in Afghanistan has fueled misconceptions and further complicated efforts to treat PTSD.

Service members are generally screened before, during and after deployment. But the Army lacks reliable diagnostic tools, according to former Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli. He says what the recent attack on Afghan civilians proves is "just how much we don't know."