At 19 years old, Nathan joined the Army as a Mortuary Affairs Specialist. He was assigned to the Richmond Medical Examiner’s Office and assisted in autopsies. He was then deployed to Germany and worked in Landstuhl Mortuary. He returned on Sept 10, 2001. The next day on Sept 11, 2001 his unit was mobilized to respond to the Pentagon to assist in the recovery after the attack. After 3 months at the Pentagon, He was deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan to recover US and enemy casualties. During his service, he received a traumatic blow to his head, injuring his jaw and causing a Traumatic Brain Injury. A series of night terrors and other symptoms got him a referral to the psychologist while in Kandahar. After his unit transitioned back home, he was diagnosed with PTSD and TBI. After he separated from the Army, the VA assigned him disability ratings for arthritis in his knees, shoulder, neck and hands. He has had 3 surgeries on his jaw resulting in a total joint replacement and facial reconstruction. He continues to have partial facial paralysis and numbness. He struggles with social interactions as his anxiety becomes overwhelming. He also continues to have trouble sleeping because of nightmares and chronic pain.
BANKS will provide much needed assistance when he is in public. BANKS will alert him to his anxiety increasing before that sense of being overwhelmed occurs. Being startled causes intense pain in Nathan’s jaw implant and BANKS will help keep him from being startled easily. BANKS will also assist him with picking up things off of the floor when needed as Nathan’s injuries case pain in his knees and will interrupt his night terrors by waking him up when they occur.
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