Life After An Other-Than-Honorable Discharge

Published December 12, 2013 at 12:40 PM CST

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Michael Hartnett was a Marine during the Gulf War and served in Somalia. He received a bad conduct discharge for abusing drugs and alcohol. His wife, Molly, helped him turn his life around. (Quil Lawrence/NPR)

This week, NPR’s Quil Lawrence has been reporting on veterans who served their country, but for one reason or another, received an other-than-honorable discharge.

This label has affected more than 100,000 in the last decade. Some were discharged for misconduct, others for drug use, and some for committing crimes. As a result, they no longer receive VA health benefits.

He joins Here & Now’s Meghna Chakrabarti to discuss the special project.

NPR Special Series: Veterans And Other-Than-Honorable Discharges

Guest

Quil Lawrence, veterans correspondent for NPR. He tweets @QuilLawrence.