The unit held a memorial service four days later; Patrick and Teri say they weren't invited. ", "In the military service, members form a tribe with those who they serve with," Springer said. "It's a bit like the Catholic Church and the sex abuse scandal," he added. Shortly after the verdict, Whitmer's Chief of Staff JoAnne Huls, issued a statement saying that the trial is normalizing political violence: "Today, Michiganders and Americansespecially our childrenare living through the normalization of political violence. The DOD report cites a number of risk factors, including relationship and financial problems, ineffective coping skills, access to lethal means of injury and reluctance to seek help. They serve our country. He wasa tireless athlete. "Its about threats of violence.. Review. That, and the fact that his dad served in the Navy for 22 years, were major factors in Brandon applying to the Navy SEALs after his senior year at Sunrise Mountain High School in Peoria. The jury, made up of six men and six women, elected a foreperson last week and began deliberating Monday after two weeks of primarily prosecution testimony. "I called the [Enlisted Community Management Branch] to ask why I got denied, and he said, 'Your senior chief had quite a few negative things to say about you.' Neither do his alleged cohorts, who are fighting to keep the jury from hearing those comments, which are part of avideothat prosecutors want to show jurors when the case goes to trial in October. She has a niece in the Army and nephew in the Marines. That's what it's going to be, dude, becausethey are the f------ enemy, period.". On June 25, 2018, Caserta left notes to several friends and his parents, walked out on the flight line at Naval Station Norfolk and hurled himself into the spinning tail rotor of an MH-60S helicopter. "He literally dimed me out just to get me to man a deployment.". He always found and saw the good in people. The words could easily be attributed to a sailor angry at the system, unhappy with himself and frustrated with life. Senior officials of HSC-28 bear the ultimate responsibility for their failures such as the decision to keep AE1 in charge. Here's How. The tirades of Caserta's LPO were well known in the command. A goofy, happy-go-lucky type, Caserta was usually the first to volunteer for "cleaning duty, aircraft wash or field day," squadron mates said. ", The LPO eventually was transferred on June 28, 2018, three days after Caserta's death, and only after he was heard making "derogatory and inflammatory comments concerning the deceased.". Lawyers for Harris and Caserta emphasized that neither man went to Elk Rapids with Croft and Fox to surveil Whitmer's home. And hes saving lives, Patrick said as he looked at a photo of Brandon in the living room. Thanks for contacting us. The Brandon Act would have saved Brandons life, Patrick said. But we were tasked with the simplicity that other parents face: Either you are against it and when he's 18, he joins anyway, or you support him and give him everything he needs to succeed, and we chose that route. The Brandon Act is designed to protect service members who experience mental health emergencies and reduce the stigma around reporting. In 2019, 348. Caserta broke his collarbone while riding his bicycle, threatening his chance to make the move. He was lying in bed and you could tell something was wrong. "I'm sorry you have to see this," he shouted to the plane captain before he died. Desperate for answers on their son's death, the Casertas reached out to Brandon's NCOs, the friends he left gifts and notes for and those he had spoken about in texts. "If someone is getting smoked, it doesn't make sense to keep that leader, that commander. At the moment Brandon Caserta was making his final long walk out to the flight line, Patrick Caserta was on the phone with the command master chief, expressing concern for his son's welfare and telling him he planned to fly to Norfolk to take Brandon to base legal and the equal opportunity office to discuss his options. As the Daily Dot went to publish, Casertas page was taken offline. Michael Hills represented Caserta in federal court for the kidnappings conspiracy charge. After their son died by suicide in the Navy, the couple lobbied Congress for legislation to expand mental health services to members of the military. Adriana Gonzalez-Chavez expects to graduate in May 2024 with a bachelors degree in journalism and a minor in communication. She does what she can to help. In four days, they mailed 700 letters to U.S. representatives and senators. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The men were arrested in October 2020 amid talk of raising $4,000 for an explosive that could blow up a bridge and stymie police after a kidnapping, according to trial evidence. He was LARPing," Gibbons said, using an acronym for live action role playing. His chiefs told him that he couldn't reapply for aircrew until he completed the qualifications, and they also handed him a new requirement: get a driver's license so he could be cycled into the duty driver schedule and operate vehicles on the flight line. "When I checked out of the command, I told them that if they kept treating people this way, they are going to have something really bad happen. President Joe Biden, for those fortunate enough to have missed it, made a "Dark Brandon" joke Saturday night at the White House Correspondent's dinner. Kolata, who served in the Navy for 15 years, suffered from mental health issuesbut was afraid of telling her command. ", "It was awful," the sailor said. "And when you have harassment, or bullying, what that does is it takes a person and singles them out, which makes that service member feel like they are not a core part of that tribe. The daily news products are produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He had a great personality and made you laugh. There are several sailors on this base who are going through this.". Asked by the Army to "think outside the box" in studying the deaths, Matsuda found that, given the opportunity, some noncommissioned officers and officers in the chain of command make their subordinates' lives a living hell. Every single one, dude, every single one. "I want to see as many people fired, kicked out or, at the very least, lose rank," he wrote. Yet most who may need help arent getting it. There must be accountability and consequences for those who commit heinous crimes. He's just playing his game. On Count 2: Weapon. This story has been shared 597,292 times. According to the indictment, Caserta wasa member of the Michigan-based militia group, Wolverine Watchmen," whose members were also were affiliated with the Three Percenter group a similar anti-government outfit. But the investigating officer then recommended against mast, instead suggesting the aviation electrician's mate 1st class, or AE1, be transferred with a "declining" evaluation. ", If they seek help, "People could be concerned about losing their security clearance, their place in the tribe, being flagged, being put on a profile, having someone remove their firearm privileges," Springer said. Instead, he reached Caserta's maintenance master chief, who told him that "people in the squadron had to do two deployments because [Caserta] didn't have his quals.". The first couple years I was getting mental health treatment, I told them I was going to the dentist, said Kolata, who is fully disabled due to her military service. youtube.com You NEED to Pay Attention to This! ", In the last weeks of Caserta's life, his parents became so concerned about his welfare that his father called the command, hoping to speak with the command master chief. Because of the injury, Caserta's orders were canceled and he was sent back to selling candy and snacks for several months. Since her husband told her about the HSC-28 command, Clemons-Etheredge joined Mission 22 as a crisis and trauma counselor. But a year later, a broken leg forced him to drop out of the training, reclassify as an aviation electrician and transfer to Norfolk, attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 28. He asked, in writing, for us to do it. Navy Aircrew Aviation Electrician's Mate Striker Brandon Caserta, who died three years ago this month by suicide, Troops Can Finally File Medical Malpractice Claims Against the Military. Holly Graf perhaps the most notorious. Feds: Whitmer kidnap suspect doesn't want public to hear God gave him OK, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Military members who take their own lives are largely men younger than 30. And as long as the fear is there, it is going to be an obstacle and a barrier to people seeking help. Clemons-Etheredge reached out to Teri Caserta last year via Facebook and met her this year before the vigil in Washington D.C. He played flag football for about 10 years and graduated to tackle football. "We are so angry at them for not looking out for Brandon and the other troops. A week before he died, and stuck in a toxic situation, Brandon slipped a note seeking help under the command officers door, but his pleawent ignored. So, yeah, its been almost four years that thats what weve been doing.. After their son died by suicide in the Navy, the couple lobbied Congress for legislation to expand mental health services to members of the military. U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge issued a statement saying, "Although we are disappointed the jury did not reach decisions in our favor, we continue to respect the jury trial system whatever the outcome. The command, Patrick Caserta asserts, was "so hostile, corruptive and unethical," they tormented Brandon and drove him past the brink of despair. They are being held in U.S. marshals'. The article also includes the following from Whitmer: You know, Ive been a target of white supremacists efforts to kidnap me, put me on some sort of a sham trial, and execute me. We just dont want anybody to go through what we did, and we certainly want to help the ones who are going through what Brandon did, Teri Caserta said. Hecht told Military.com that the lead petty officer was placed back in charge of junior sailors because "the bedrock of Navy culture is the continued leadership development of both our junior and senior sailors.". This extends past HSC-28. We appreciate the prosecutors and law enforcement officers for their work on this case.". Patrick Caserta said the family was excluded out of sheer pettiness. A Facebook page of his showcases his far-right bona fides. The bill passed Dec. 15, 2021. Suicide rates have been increasing among members of the military and veterans alike. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The Casertas are focused on the widespread issue of suicides in the military. During summer recesses in Congress, Teri and Patrick have scheduled videoconferences and a few in-person meetings. All rights reserved. Defense lawyers say the groups believedthat government had engaged in actions that were overreaching and unconstitutional, and that Caserta specifically believed the "stability of local and federal governments were eroding and civil unrest was tearing at the fabric of our country and being prepared for this unrest and governmental breakdown was essential.". And then when I went over and went around the guy that was turning left, thats what he said he pulled me over for. "Adam Fox is usually impaired. Newsletter: Video declaring the easiest job in the world goes viral, Fake TikTok of Boston Dynamics robot fighting racks up millions of views, FTC chair warns AI can turbocharge fraud and discrimination, *First Published: Oct 8, 2020, 11:29 am CDT, How South Carolina became a troubling new hub for QAnon. He was transferred out of HSC-28 two weeks after filing the complaint. The U.S. military has not yet put a six-month-old federal law designed to improve how service members get mental health care into effect, despite a recent rash of suicides in the Navy. (Photo by Madeline Bautista/Cronkite News). Suicide rates have been increasing among members of the military and veterans alike. Struggling in his assigned rating and facing disciplinary action within his command, Caserta left notes for his parents and friends before died by suicide on the flight line on June 25, 2018. They have resumed the fight this year. This was no surprise. They should be put up on a pedestal.. Operational leaders, he said, should not rely on "the boot camp strategy of breaking people down to build them back up. Last year, 580 service members died by suicide 384 active duty members, 77 reservists and 119 National Guard members. In the FBI filing, one of the other men arrested, Adam Fox, reportedly reached out to a militia. The militia was later identified as the Wolverine Watchmen. Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta were acquitted on all counts: On Count 1: Conspiracy to Commit Kidnapping: Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta were both found NOT GUILTY. Hills said Kaleb Franks and Ty Garbin, two other suspects who were charged with the same crimes but pleaded guilty earlier this year, acted too fast. Services also are available online at www.veteranscrisisline.net or by text, 838255. Adam Aycock, who managed to complete his command tour, was found to have overseen a ship in complete dysfunction, his leadership threatening the ship's readiness by causing exhaustion, despair and suicidal thoughts among sailors, according to a report in Navy Times. Their goal is to "to get all of Congress," as Patrick Caserta put it, to vote for the act. Posted on Oct 8, 2020Updated on Oct 8, 2020, 3:05 pm CDT. Aircrew Aviation Electrician's Mate Striker Brandon Caserta, 21 died by suicide on June 25, 2018. "We believe if it's presented to them properly, theyll want to get involved.. The Brandon . To reprint or license this article or any content from Military.com, please submit your request, 'Brandon Act' Named for Sailor Who Died by Suicide Gains New Supporters in Congress, Military Has Yet to Reveal Causes of Red Hill Fire Suppressant Spills, US Army: Helicopters Crashed in Mountains, Fair Weather, Erdogan Says Turkish Forces Killed IS Chief in Syria, Biden, Marcos Set to Meet as Tensions Grow With China, Army Not Tweaking Fitness Test After Uncertainty Over Gender Standards, Female Commander Investigated over Alleged Sexual Assaults of Male Subordinates, Pattern of Harassment, Veterans Health Care and Benefits Become Flash Points in Debate over Debt Ceiling and Spending Cuts, Toxic Exposure Law Triggers Tsunami of Veteran Disability Claims, There Are Too Many Generals and Admirals, a Senator Stalling Military Promotions Argues. Brandon was very athletic and took karate, swimming, football and track. You either tell them to go right now, orelse they're going to die. Fox twice traveled to northern Michigan to scout the area. "The governor remains focused on her work on behalf of Michigan and all Michiganders. Brandon Caserta died by suicide three years ago while stationed in the Navy in Norfolk, Virginia. Another sailor who asked not to be identified out of fear of retribution simply described the climate at HSC-28 as "terrible. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission.