The U. S. will soon implement The Brandon Act’s mental health policies to stop suicide in the military, and the law’s parents exclusively tell PEOPLE that their late son’s legacy will “forever live on” in the new regulations.
Patrick and Teri Caserta frequently glance at the hutch containing the remains of their only child, Brandon, while sitting in their Peoria, Arizona, home.
On June 25, 2018, Brandon, a third-class aviation electrician at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, committed suicide. Brandon wrote six notes that his parents and friends found after his death at the age of 21 and in which he described how he had been harassed and hazed by members and leaders of his Navy helicopter squadron.
The Casertas are happy that the Pentagon will announce the adopted measures on Friday, May 5, after five years of advocating for private military mental health benefits. It will make it possible for others with similar problems with their mental health to Brandon to receive assistance without fear of reprisal, rebuke, or going through their chain of command.
The couple tells PEOPLE that it is “a great day for our service members and our nation” that the Department of Defense has approved the implementation of The Brandon Act.
The Brandon Act and The Brandon Caserta Foundation will continue Brandon’s legacy of saving lives in perpetuity. Too many of our people die by suicide. Murderous and tragic, suicide. It is completely avoidable. According to the couple, this enables our military to be more physically and mentally fit.
All ranks and levels of military personnel are safeguarded by the Brandon Act. The Casertas stated that service members can make use of The Brandon Act for any problem they may experience. This includes any form of discrimination, a disability, gambling and alcohol problems, sexual assault or harassment, retaliation, bullying, hazing, toxic leadership, abusive power, and depression or anxiety.
Immediately after reporting themselves, service members will have their mental health assessed.
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Annual training on mental health evaluation needs will be given by the Department of Defense to its personnel.
The Department of Defense is dedicated to bringing about long-lasting, significant change to improve mental health and address suicide, according to a statement from Dr. Lester Martinez-Lopez, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.
“We are diligently implementing the Brandon Act, also known as Section 704 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022. Once in place, service members will be able to request a mental health evaluation on any ground by making a referral through a commanding officer or supervisor,” the official continues. “The new process will call for the commander or supervisor to refer the service member to a mental health provider and protect the service member’s confidentiality to the greatest extent practical in accordance with applicable laws and DoD policy. “.
Martinez-Lopez continues, “As the Department works to reduce stigma surrounding mental illness and promote help-seeking, we want to reiterate that there is a full continuum of mental health and wellness support available globally. Specialty and primary care clinics, embedded behavioral health providers within units, and virtual health platforms are all available. “.
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S. Sen. Rep. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Rep. Dec. 1, Massachusetts Representative Seth Moulton announced. The Brandon Act was included in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, which the Senate passed on May 15, 2021.
In a statement at the time, Kelly stated, “For months, I worked with Republicans and Democrats to get the language of the Brandon Act in the defense bill.
We will be able to confront military suicide head-on and save the lives of other young service members thanks to Teri and Patrick Caserta’s unwavering advocacy and the support of both political parties in Congress, Kelly added.
Bill author Moulton added. “Today’s vote ensures that American service members won’t have to accept a broken system that cannot give them the necessary mental health support. This legislation is a significant part of Brandon’s legacy because it will save the lives of so many valiant Americans. I’m proud of his parents for fighting to ensure that families of other service members never have to go through what they have, and I look forward to carrying on this work with them. “.
In the military, 519 service members took their own lives in 2021, with young enlisted male service members being found to be most at risk. “.
Although 2021 was lower than 2020, the report showed that suicide rates among serving personnel have increased since 2011. The main means of suicide deaths were firearms.
Teri describes her son as having a “great personality,” as well as being “funny, very kind, and very generous.”. “.
The Brandon Act is the ideal way to pay tribute to his legacy because of this. She claims that he truly would sacrifice everything for someone.
She remembers saying, “Here’s a sweet little story. “We had to create an account for Brandon when he started all-day school so he could purchase his lunch. It was vanishing quickly, as we had seen. “.
When asked if he was eating two lunches, his parents said yes. Brandon wasn’t; rather, he was paying for meals for kids who were less fortunate. He carried on through high school after Teri encouraged him to do so.
She claims that he offered assistance to anyone who needed it, whether they were having mental or academic difficulties or were having problems with extracurricular activities like track and football. Indeed, he flashed the biggest, cheeriest smile. And his smile had the power to brighten any space. “.
His parents were taken aback by his decision to enlist in the military. Patrick, a senior chief retired from the Navy after 22 years, attempted to change his son’s mind, but Brandon was unyielding.
He says, “We didn’t know why.
“We then gave it some thought.
Since he was four years old, he has practiced karate and swimming. It made sense that he played sports all year long. “.
The SWAT team of a police force was Brandon’s dream, but he had to wait until he was 21 to join. He believed joining the SEALs would enhance his resume, they claimed. The Casertas gave their son financial support by purchasing him a SEAL mask, goggles, fins, snorkel, swimsuit, and weightlifting gear. “.
He wanted the weighted vest I bought for him, says Patrick. I swear it weighed about 300 pounds. He would run while wearing it, and I still have it. “.
When they were en route to Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport for Brandon’s return flight, they stopped at a Krispy Kreme and saw their son for the last time. They all had tears in their eyes.
On June 25, 2018, Brandon ran toward a rotating rear tail rotor at work, jumped, missed, then jumped again and made contact. Over helicopter noise, he apologized to the plane captain and said, “I’m sorry for what you are about to see.”.
He did this in front of his flight line and command, Patrick said. As a result, they established the Brandon Caserta Foundation to offer support to active-duty service members, veterans, and their families as well as advice, education, and resources.
Teri declared, “We cherish our armed forces and our service members. For this reason, we drafted The Brandon Act and vigorously lobbied for it. Armed forces lives will be saved thanks to the Brandon Act and other DoD resources, we are confident. “.
Here you can learn more about The Brandon Caserta Foundation and the Brandon Caserta Memorial Scholarship, respectively.
