This year, the Philippines agreed to give the U.S. access to four more bases on the islands. ", Caserta continues: "And if you guys are going to give any of these mother f------a chance, any of thesegang, f------criminal a--government thugs that rob people every day;ifyou're even going to give them a second to try to speak or tell their story,don't even f--- me, dude. Disabled Veterans Sign up for a Career Change. A man accused of plotting to kidnap Gov. The Caserta couple is now devoting their lives to the passage of the Brandon Act, and say the legislation named after their son will help other servicemembers experiencing a medical crisis requiring psychological care without the fear of retaliation. That's what it's going to be, dude, becausethey are the f------ enemy, period.". One suicide is too many. Aviation Machinist's Mate 2nd Class (AW) Justin MacMillan, who spent nearly four years at HSC-28, said a crisis could have been foreseen. Brandon left behind a suicide note in which he faulted the Navy. When he ran into the bad people he would try to look for the good in them and try to bring it out of them. Her husband was not only disallowed but also punished for seeking mental health treatment. I found strength in being able to advocate and lobby for change in others, James said. Back at the squadron, he was sent to anger management classes and reassigned as LPO over Brandon and other junior sailors under a new chief petty officer "as a leadership challenge.". And hes saving lives, Patrick said as he looked at a photo of Brandon in the living room. Please enter valid email address to continue. Today, our hard work has paid off. "He was a loving, caring, friendly kid.". Lawyers have signaled an entrapment defense, claiming the men were cajoled by undercover FBI agents and zealous, greedy informants. "The command disrespected him and they disrespected us," he said. This needs to change.". Clostermanns Restaurant & Bar. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 85 reviews #3 of 21 Restaurants in Niederkassel $$$$ European Contemporary Central European. He enlisted at age 17 with dreams of becoming a Navy SEAL. Earlier in April, the Casertas joined U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., members of Arizona State University ROTC and representatives of the ASU Pat Tillman Veterans Center for a panel discussion about the Brandon Act, which became law as part of the larger defense measure in December. His football coach called him the Energizer bunny.. He took swim lessons, joined the USA Swim team and swam for his high school. (Photo by Madeline Bautista/Cronkite News). "People need help. Suicides have risen since then. He just needed someone to talk to, and they were unwilling to allow him to do that, Clemons-Etheredge said. "If you ask sailors in general why they wont speak out, theyll say that theyre afraid of retaliation," Clemons-Etheredge said. "When he returned from detachment, he was counseled on leadership techniques, ways to improve his demeanor with junior sailors and given another opportunity to lead," Hecht said. They serve our country. 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. 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On Wednesday, just before he was arrested, Caserta speculated Is it morally legitimate to initiate violence and theft against non violent people? Other posts ask similar questions. Brandon Caserta is mad, not at the governor, but at the police for giving him tickets and taking his money," Caserta's lawyer, Michael Hills, argues in court documents. Hecht said the memorial service was scheduled to allow the maximum number of unit members to attend and that the family was given "advanced notice." Brandon decided to join the Navy and worked very hard to get a Navy SEAL contract. @NotRadix and I are working on a documentary at this very moment, and we are exposing the injustices by these prosecutor's judge's cops and politicians. The counts and jury decisions for Adam Fox, Barry Croft Jr., Brandon Caserta and Daniel Harris are as follows: Adam Fox was charged with two counts. The command, Patrick Caserta asserts, was "so hostile, corruptive and unethical," they tormented Brandon and drove him past the brink of despair. 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. Ron Watkins, of QAnon and 8chan infamy, launches AlienLeaks, Trump hotel purposely spiked prices to keep out QAnon supporters, hacked police data reveals, A strident anti-mask QAnon believer was accused of assaultnow she may win a seat on a local school board. Caserta broke his collarbone while riding his bicycle, threatening his chance to make the move. Brandon Caserta was one of 325 active-duty service members who died by suicide in 2018, and one of 68 sailors, according to military data. One chief petty officer with the unit was promoted to ensign after Caserta's death and another is on terminal leave. He said Caserta never agreed to the alleged plot to kidnap Whitmer. But her command leaders ignored the burgeoning problem. In the Whitmer case, Adam Fox, Barry Croft, Ty Garbin, Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta were charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping. According tocourt records, Caserta and his cohorts held field training exercises and plotted the kidnapping in the basement of a vacuum shop near Grand Rapids. "But, you know, all too often the military in these cases just interviews the circle of command, not the circle of trust. After the verdict was announced, the judge said Harris and Caserta would be free to leave. President Biden Brings Dark Brandon to Life in Zinger-Filled WHCA Before his death, the report said, Brandon emailed two others, who were deployed at the time, wondering what was the meaning of life.. He played flag football for about 10 years and graduated to tackle football. Toxic command climate can most certainly trigger suicidal behavior.". All rights reserved. He only went to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get a license so he would have a state ID and could legally drive in an emergency. He wanted justice, Patrick said. When he said he wanted to join (the SEALs), I'm not gonna say we weren't happy, but it was just shocking, Patrick Caserta said. Caserta's parents have taken their grievances public, publishing an essay earlier this week on militarycorruption.com. We were able to have his legacy live on by the Brandon Act. Brandon Caserta is seen in this military photo. He touched so many lives in such a short time. While a single senator cannot prevent confirmations, a hold significantly delays confirmations because the Senate needs to All of these veterans, who used education benefits earned in the military to pay for the training, had signed agreements Copyright 2023 Military.com. Bro, Im tellin' you what. "The governor did not fall victim to any sort of actual action. 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. His death was one of 325 suicides among active duty personnel that year, including 68 in the U.S. Navy. "Its about threats of violence.. -- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. ", Although not particularly familiar with the Brandon Act, Springer did say that it "may offer a critical pathway to ensure that people can step forward and get support in a truly safe and confidential way.". 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. Find a staff list and description of our beats here. View the profiles of people named Brandon Caserta. Denitza James also works as a subcommittee chair for LULAC. He was always joking around. 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. But the Navy has had its share of what are considered "toxic leaders," notably even with the service's top enlisted leader, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Stephen Giordano, who retired in 2018 after an investigation found he publicly berated and humiliated his staff and treated aides like servants. Navy policy states that the command should provide round-trip travel and allowances to family members to attend a command memorial service. Teri and Patrick Caserta remember their son as a fun-loving, positive and hardworking kid. Stepping into Brandons old bedroom, it immediately becomes apparent how much he loved to build, from the Lego sets he made with his father to the metal figures the size of ones hand that he built as he got older. He was on his high school freshman and . Gretchen Whitmersaid he wanted to kill cops"as many of those mother f------ as I can" prosecutors allege, though the defendant doesn't want jurors to hear any ofthat. He had a great personality and made you laugh. When they met, they ran into each others arms, hugged and cried. The trial for the four men accused in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Letthis (expletive)go down. Caserta, who was from Arizona, was assigned his rating after breaking his leg during Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL School in 2016. As the Casertas began pushing for change, they set up a Facebook page about their son and the legislation he inspired. Senior officials of HSC-28 bear the ultimate responsibility for their failures such as the decision to keep AE1 in charge. Posted on Oct 8, 2020Updated on Oct 8, 2020, 3:05 pm CDT. Two defendants now await re-trial and, for that reason, we have no further statement at this time.". The Casertas are focused on the widespread issue of suicides in the military. "He literally dimed me out just to get me to man a deployment.". The lead petty officer remains in the Navy, never having received punitive action. If you or someone you know needs help, the Veterans Crisis Hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 800-273-8255, press 1. Suicides have risen since then. As the Daily Dot went to publish, Casertas page was taken offline. Jurors reached a partial verdict Friday in the case of four men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. They called him a BUD/S dud, or somebody who goes through SEALsand doesnt make it, Patrick said. Tony Finau stares down Jon Rahm, Talor Gooch goes back to back, Rory McIlroy returns to the PGA Tour and more in this week's edition of Monday Scramble: Getty Images. Croft, Fox, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta are charged with conspiracy . 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. 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. This story has been shared 597,292 times. 54 talking about this. It has launched a new campaign to support soldiers who experienced hardship during military service. Brandon was in karate for 17 years. His parents later discovered notes describing hazing and bullying from some members of his squadron. They all turned a blind eye to [his] bullying and hatred toward Brandon and others," they wrote. 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. His favorite sports were karate, swimming and tackle football. Fox twice traveled to northern Michigan to scout the area. The LPO officer and some of his peers also didnt take to his happygo-lucky attitude, Patrick said. Caserta wasnt the only sailor who had trouble getting mental health treatment in the HSC-28 command. Acquitted defendant Caserta will not testify at Whitmer kidnap retrial "[The lead petty officer]'s noted belligerence, vulgarity and brash leadership was likely a significant contributing factor in AEAN Caserta's decision to end his own life," the investigation states. I just remember him being really upset, Clemons-Etheredge said. 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. This is more than an advocacy thing. 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. But when he notified his command, they refused his request. (Sen. Mark Kelly's staff/Sen. Maricopa County Suicide and Crisis Hotline: 1-800-631-1314 or 602-222-9444. https://www.azahcccs.gov/BehavioralHealth/crisis.html, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 2023 FOX Television Stations, issued a statement saying that the trial is normalizing political violence, DPD host walk to raise awareness on National Crime Victims Rights Week, WATCH - Jennifer Hammond was in Allen Park as the Lions introduced their 2023 first round picks, 'No Beef Zone in effect' by Detroit activists in Greektown to keep the peace. Without support, what followed next broke him. Photos of Brandon Caserta decorate the Peoria home of his parents, Teri and Patrick. For Caserta, though, facing a year or more under a toxic LPO in a rating he hated, getting behind the wheel of a vehicle and enduring a disciplinary board appeared to be too much. My ears popped on the way down. We feel he is smiling down on us right now.. Clemons-Etheredge said her husband, who has served in the Navy for 16 years, doesn't feel like he can speak publicly about the issues within the HSC-28 command because he is still active duty. Yet most who may need help arent getting it. In a Monday court filing, defense lawyers also cited a recent article in Newsweek magazine, in which "Whitmer says shes been in a pensive mood lately, having spent recent days writing a victim impact statement ahead of the sentencing of an anti-government extremist who took part in a plot to kidnap and kill her last year. He was LARPing," Gibbons said, using an acronym for live action role playing. Duane Whitmer on June 18, 2018, showed the abuse hadn't stopped. Indeed, the command investigation concluded that Caserta was "suffering from a number of stressors, including a feeling of worthlessness since he had dropped on request from Special Warfare training and dissatisfaction with the Navy.". 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. It was the happiest we'd ever seen him, Patrick said. He had been counseled while serving as a detachment LPO for "intolerable and unprofessional" behavior toward subordinates, and later relieved when his behavior didn't change. Gretchen Whitmer railed that President Trump was a tyrant and called all government workers your enemy.. Contact us today for information that could help save their lives. Non-Profit The Brandon Caserta Foundation will provide assistance, guidance, education, and resourc In fact, his parents Patrick and Teri said he had a phobia and hadn't been behind the wheel since taking a driver's course. Recommend Disciplinary Review Board," stated his counseling record from June 22, 2018. Gretchen Whitmer. Which is why the Brandon Act is so important because it gives them confidentiality.. But Brandon's father, and other sailors in the command, say the decision was made by a callous leadership cadre interested only in making mission and achieving the next rank. It will also allow Americans serving in uniform to seek help confidentially and, if necessary, outside of the chain of command. Just because I had a bad experience doesnt mean the military is bad. So this legislation would make it anonymous. According to the government, the video captures defendant Brandon Caserta expressing frustration with law enforcement and government, and allegedlyinstructing his coconspirators"that if they encounterpolice during a reconnaissance, "they should give the officers one opportunity to leave, and kill them if they did not comply.. He'd been 72% complete. "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. 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. "Adam Fox is usually impaired. 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. This law is designed to protect service members who experience mental health emergencies by requiring requiring the Department of Defense to create a process and reduce the stigma a process that also protects confidentiality, said Kelly, a former combat pilot who served in the Navy for 25 years and championed the act after hearing Brandons story. They told him that he needs to suck it up and that he was fine.. Brandon Act to Change DoD Mental Health Policy, Pay Tribute to Fallen If this whole thing, you know, startsto happen;I'm telling you what, dude, I'm taken out as many of those m----- ------s (expletive) as I can. Monday Scramble: All eyes on Finau, Rahm in Mexico; all ears on McIlroy Only one defendant,Harris, chose to testify in his own defense, and the four men deny any scheme to get Whitmer at her vacation home. This article may not be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without written permission. Brandon was very athletic and took karate, swimming, football and track. Michael Hills represented Caserta in federal court for the kidnappings conspiracy charge. He played flag football for about 10 years and graduated to tackle football. After the acquittal, Hills spoke briefly to the media outside of the federal courthouse in Grand Rapids and said the evidence was never strong enough for a conviction. Their goal is to "to get all of Congress," as Patrick Caserta put it, to vote for the act. He worked out with a great bunch of guys who he helped and pushed so they could get their contracts as well. In this video, Brandon Caserta states why he was stopped and is complaining about thepolice: "Yeah, so guess what guys. He learned that by doing this stuff.. "Right from the beginning I kept looking for it. Brandon Casertas bedroom was left as it was except for a few gifts arranged on his bed. This is a tragic situation. "We are so angry at them for not looking out for Brandon and the other troops. The four members of anti-government groups are facing trial on federal charges accusing them in a plot to abduct Michigan's. "It's a bit like the Catholic Church and the sex abuse scandal," he added. Brandon Act, named for Brandon Caserta, meant to address suicide in the But we must be honest about what it really is: the result of violent, divisive rhetoric that is all too common across our country. L-R: Brandon Caserta, Barry Croft, Adam Dean Fox, and Daniel Harris. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. He had a Magic Johnson smile.. They can say Hey, I have a Brandon Act issue, and theres no questions, no repercussions, they will be given initial counseling and treatment that they need.. The decision to take one's own life is deeply personal, one made for reasons the dead often take to the grave with them. Questions she's heard aboutthe Brandon Act include its vagueness, whether it's absolutely necessary, and whether the person's command should be removed from the process altogether, Romero said. Although well never get Brandon back, his legacy will be the lives of many more great Americans he saves through this bill, and Im proud of his parents who have fought so hard to tell his story and make this change.. Since Brandon's death, his parents Teri and Patrick have fought for legislation that would protect service members who feel abandoned by their leaders and need help. Hills said that the jury recognized that there wasn't enough to convict, even if they didn't everything. Thanks to the tireless advocacy of Teri and Patrick Caserta, and bipartisan support in Congress, our efforts will help us confront military suicide head on and save the lives of other young servicemembers." Brandon Caserta died by suicide on June 25, 2018 on the flight line at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. I never found out what senior chief said, but when he got the news, he called me in and just laughed in my face. Casertas alleged views surface amid Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and Whitmer both blaming Trump for inspiring the sick scheme, as they claim he failed to denounce white supremacy and extremism in the US. I'm sick of being robbed and enslaved by the state, period. A bipartisan group of 10 House members and four Senate members are co-sponsoring the Brandon Act, including Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., and Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a Navy veteran. I have zero patience for immoral coward criminals. And I see the need for change. Shauna Springer isa psychologist who specializes in suicides in the military. "The jury, even though they didnt get all of it, they smelled enough of it," he said. Hecht said manning issues did not play a role in any of the command's decisions. Sanderson points to the grand piano, the shelves filled with ammonite fossils, the high walls covered in wood and damask paneling, and his pice de rsistance: a . The Casertas invited Cronkite News into their home to talk more about Brandons experience in the military and the son they adored. Defense lawyers argue these statements "completely ignore the presumption ofinnocence" and that the "repeated discussion of the governor as a 'victim' ignores the nature of the charges. Jury urged to convict 4 in plot to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer as