Natal says he's normally a peaceful person but one day he just snapped during an argument.
"I just spun, grabbed the person by the throat, lifted him up, slammed him to the ground and starting choking him," said Natal.
According to a recent study the prevalence of PTSD among soldiers returning from active duty is estimated to range from 6.2 percent to 24 percent.
In addition many service members are also coming back with something called traumatic brain injury or TBI.
At Elmendorf hospital they treat both conditions.
The hospital also houses the Air Force's only TBI clinic in the country.
It was created in 2007 when military officials recognized that Alaska's need for treatment would increase significantly.
Since February 2008 more than 1,400 service members have visited the clinic.
At Providence Alaska Medical Center the need is also recognized there.
Dr. Heather Macomber, a Neuropsychologist, says while TBI and PTSD share symptoms there are also major differences.
For the most part PTSD results from exposure to some sort of trauma while TBI is defined by actual injury to the brain.
"There's a change to the person's ability to think and process information actually with a traumatic brain injury. In PTSD, there's a perception that someone's ability to think has changed, although, on formal testing, typically, it doesn't show up that way," said Macomber.
Providence's Neuroscience Center opened in early 2008. In the months since its opening they've seen nearly 60 soldiers.
However, not all of their patients went to war.
West High School student, Will Barrington was getting ready for a state motorcross race back in May of 2007.
"I was doing a triple and I went off the first jump, my front tire hit the second and it went over the handle bars and hit my head on the third, and that's all. I don't even remember the accident, I was told that," said Barrington.
After his accident Will went through hours of surgery and was in a medicated coma for almost two weeks.
His parents remained at his side while his doctors would later diagnose him with Traumatic Brain Injury.
"Our first thought was, what's our son going to be like when he wakes up?" said Will's mother, Christine Barrington.
Will took medication to help his condition and went through different types of therapy.
Today his life is normal but his hand and foot on the left side of his body remain paralyzed.
"In general terms, with William's condition, the key is immediate identification of brain injury," said Dr. Russel Cherry.
Cherry says TBI is a significant issue for Alaska.
"It's approximately 7-10 times the national average, and if you go out into Bush communities, it's approximately 11-15 times the national average," said Dr. Cherry.
He says part of the problem is the high rates of ATV accidents and lack of helmet use in rural areas.
Also, elevated rates of alcoholism contribute to the high rate.
"In the Bush communities, TBI is an epidemic," he said.
According to Dr. Cherry what's needed in Alaska is more comprehensive and continuous care so patients don't fall through the gaps in services.
"They'll see a neurologist for this, you know, various providers for different issues, but the information isn't being shared between the providers and often it's dependent on the brain injured patient to make the links between the various providers. So a lot of people will kind of fall between the cracks and that's been an unfortunate sort of historical legacy in the state of Alaska," said Cherry.
Dr. Cherry says partnerships and formal networks are needed, which is something the neuroscience center at Providence is trying to address.
He says the facility, as well as Elmendorf Hospital's TBI clinic and PTSD programs are great improvements in care.
As for Sgt. Natal, treatments at Elmendorf Hospital as well as programs from the VA have helped him with his PTSD.
Today, he finds peace from the hidden wounds of war.
Contact Joy Mapaye at joy@ktuu.com
