Just before Memorial Day weekend, the Army asked its Twitter followers how serving in the military has affected their lives.

The tweet was part of a thread that included videos of Pfc. Nathan Spencer, a scout with the Army's 1st Infantry Division sharing how the Army has positively influenced his life.

The call-out attracted nearly 10,000 replies, some of which echo Spencer's remarks expressing pride in his service. But many of the responses illuminate the issues faced by those who serve including post-traumatic stress disorder, veteran suicide and lifelong health problems.

"I am a Navy vet, I was a happy person before I served, now I am broke apart, cant even work a full 30 days due to anxiety and depression," one tweet read. "I am in constant pain everyday."

There are approximately 20 million veterans in the United States, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, but fewer than half receive VA benefits or services.

About 30% of Vietnam veterans, 12% of Gulf War veterans and 11% to 20% of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom veterans are living with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the VA.

In addition to the stress of combat, the VA cites military sexual assault as one potential cause of PTSD. Among veterans who use VA health care, 23% of women have reported sexual assaults in the military.

Veterans are 1.5 times more likely than non-veterans to take their lives, according to a report released by the VA last year. More than 6,000 veterans have died by suicide each year from 2008 to 2016, the report found.

President Donald Trump, calling veteran suicide a “tragedy of staggering proportions,” signed an executive order in March creating a Cabinet-level task force to coordinate and align efforts across the federal government to help stem the crisis among former service members.

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The task force, led by VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, has a goal of creating a national plan to more effectively lower the number of veteran suicides after numerous programs and billions of dollars allocated to address the problem in recent years have had minimal impact.

The Army responded to the growing thread with a series of tweets on Saturday directing those in need of help to the Veteran Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 and veteranscrisisline.net.

“To everyone who responded to this thread, thank you for sharing your story," the tweet read. "Your stories are real, they matter, and they may help others in similar situations. The Army is committed to the health, safety and well-being of our Soldiers."

"As we honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice this weekend by remembering their service, we are also mindful of the fact that we have to take care of those who come back home with scars we can't see," the tweets continued.

Veterans who need help can call the VA crisis line at 800-273-8255 and select option 1. They can also send a text message to 838255, or chat with counselors online.

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Contributing: Donovan Slack, USA TODAY

Follow N'dea Yancey-Bragg on Twitter: @NdeaYanceyBragg