Nikki Wentling began reporting on veterans and service members in 2014, when she started her career as the military reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock. Later, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she reported for the independent military newspaper Stars and Stripes. During her six years with the publication, she covered breaking news on Capitol Hill and reported extensively on the inner workings of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Wentling earned a meritorious service award from the National Coalition of Homeless Veterans in 2020 and was named by the nonprofit HillVets as one of the 100 most influential people in regard to veterans policymaking in 2018. She was part of the 2017-18 class of Paul Miller Washington Reporting fellows, a program run by the National Press Foundation. She now lives in Denver.