He did all of this to raise awareness for veteran suicide prevention. Snyder is an ambassador for Mission 22, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing veteran suicide through treatment programs, memorials, and awareness campaigns. In April, a friend from his deployment unit in Afghanistan died by suicide, stunning Snyder and his friends. There were over 6,000 known veteran suicide deaths in 2017, according to the most recent suicide data report by the US Department of Veteran Affairs. The Department of Veteran Affairs has declared veteran suicide prevention to be their highest clinical priority and has said they are dedicating significant resources to crisis intervention and mental health treatment, according to a recent strategy report.

LAKANA(CNN) - Federal investigators say they are checking allegations of sexual assaults at a Veterans Affairs hospital in West Virginia -- accusations the hospital says prompted it to fire someone. The Department of Veteran Affairs inspector general's office is investigating allegations that sexual assaults happened at the Beckley VA Medical Center in Beckley, West Virginia, the office said Monday. The probe comes as the US Justice Department is investigating suspicious deaths of 11 patients at a different VA hospital in the same state -- the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg. Neither the inspector general's office nor the medical center have said who was fired, what that person's position was, when the assaults may have happened, or who may have been assaulted. The inspector general's office "takes seriously any allegation calling into question the care of veterans," its statement reads.

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images(CNN) - The US Department of Veteran Affairs said Tuesday it is investigating 11 suspicious deaths at a medical center in West Virginia, prompting Sen. Joe Manchin to label them potential crimes. The VA said it is looking into "potential wrongdoing" at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg. Wesley R. Walls, a spokesman for the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center, said "allegations of potential misconduct you may have heard about in media reports do not involve" any current employees. "Immediately upon discovering these serious allegations, Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center leadership brought them to the attention of the VA's inspector general while putting safeguards in place to ensure the safety of each and every one of our patients," Walls said. In his statement, Manchin said he met with VA and hospital leaders to ensure a thorough investigation.