Nate Tilton enlisted in the Army National Guard in 2005 as a motor transport operator. He deployed to Iraq twice (Headquarters Company, 1st Bn. 185th Infantry Regiment 2006-2007, and A Company, 1st Bn. 120th Infantry Regiment 2009-2010) and Afghanistan twice (2010 with Headquarters Company, 1st Bn. 102nd Infantry Regiment and 2012 with 2668th Transportation Company). He has held various duty positions, including senior operations NCO, platoon sergeant, youth academy cadre, and infantryman. Outside the military, Nate served as a federal air marshal until he retired from the Federal Air Marshal Service because of service-connected injuries. Nate graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a bachelor of arts in anthropology. Nate is pursuing a graduate degree in medical anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, focusing on the disabling effects of institutions on veterans. He is a disability advocate and works as the UC Berkeley Disability Lab manager.