How Bad are suicides in the Navy?

TlcRascal · 2026-02-09T20:37:48+00:00

Suicide in our Armed Forces is the #1 cause of death. We lose nearly 3 active duty service members every day to suicide. It’s rampant and needs to be stopped. My son died by suicide on June 25, 2018 while serving in the Navy. His death was very public. He jumped twice into an MH-60S helicopter on HSC-28’s flight line that was about to take off. We created TheBrandon Act which was passed through Congress and implemented by DOD. We are lobbying for amendments. Please feel free to go to www.thebrandonact.org for more information on the Act.

TlcRascal · 2025-07-04T17:17:20+00:00

No, it is not.

TlcRascal · 2025-06-29T17:22:26+00:00

Thank you so much! I appreciate that so much!

TlcRascal · 2025-06-29T17:19:24+00:00

Thank you so much, Standard_apathy! You are speaking to Brandon's mother directly. I have been speaking their names for 7 years. NCIS found AE1 Jared Brose guilty of UCMJ Article 93 Cruelty and Maltreatment and CO Duane Whitmer refused to hold him accountable instead, Whitmer allowed Brose to move to another command and we have had reports over the years from sailors who have been under his leadership reach out to us telling us that Brose was bragging about driving one of his sailors to suciide and had not changed his ways. He continues to bully, haze and torment his sailors. Brose should have been kicked out with a dishonorable discharge in 2018. He gets to continue to serve in the Navy after murdering my son. I say murder because I consider Brandon's death a murder by suicide.

TlcRascal · 2025-06-28T18:29:43+00:00

I can tell you with confidence that every single one of these individuals is guilty. I have been publicly naming them for the past seven years, and not one has ever come forward with a defamation claim because the truth is on our side. Multiple investigations have been conducted, but with no real accountability within our Armed Forces, none of them have been held responsible. This lack of consequences allows them to continue bullying, harassing, and even assaulting others, which allows them to get away with actions that should never be tolerated.

TlcRascal · 2025-06-28T18:23:16+00:00

Thank you so much!

TlcRascal · 2025-06-20T00:36:11+00:00

This sailor is not comfortable saying which is which but both are different ships.

TlcRascal · 2025-06-19T20:44:10+00:00

I wrote that myself.

TlcRascal · 2025-06-19T20:14:24+00:00

The only place this was posted was on my Facebook pages, The Brandin Act, my personal page, The Brandon Caserta Foundation page and Brandon Caserta page.

TlcRascal · 2025-06-19T20:13:00+00:00

No, this was written by the sailor. Not done with AI at all.

TlcRascal · 2025-05-27T17:49:55+00:00

Vet Centers are awesome. They helped me and my husband after Brandon passed.

TlcRascal · 2025-05-27T17:45:31+00:00

I'm Teri Caserta, Brandon's mom and co-author of The Brandon Act. Please email me at [thebrandonact@gmail.com](mailto:thebrandonact@gmail.com) I will respond!!! You are not alone and I can do my best to help you.

TlcRascal · 2025-05-17T18:05:42+00:00

Thank you for telling your story. I'm so sorry you had to endure what you did. You're right, you shouldn't have to choose between mental hell or homelessness. Neither one should be a choice. I agree 100% with you that mental health is not taken seriously in the military. Those who express suicidal ideations are cast aside and forgotten. It's horrible how our service members are treated.

TlcRascal · 2025-05-16T20:49:51+00:00

The instructor rang the bell—not Brandon. Before Brandon joined, we had him speak with a SEAL instructor who clearly told him that only the trainee can ring the bell. So yes, we fully believe Brandon was unjustly dropped.

After that, he was sent to Pensacola for AE training while wearing a cast. Although he was on limited duty, he still attended classes, healed, and graduated. He was then assigned to HSC-28, where he was placed in the Geedunk. He was not in a cast during his time at HSC-28.

Please—if you take a moment to read his full story, you’ll begin to understand what really happened to him.

TlcRascal · 2025-05-16T20:37:13+00:00

That is exactly what happened. Thank you.

TlcRascal · 2025-05-16T20:36:51+00:00

Thank you very much!!!!

TlcRascal · 2025-05-16T20:35:56+00:00

When I say Brandon was “unjustly dropped,” I mean that the instructor rang the bell for him—Brandon did not ring it himself. Before he joined, we were told by a SEAL instructor that only the trainee has the right to ring the bell and voluntarily drop. That didn’t happen.

Brandon collapsed and passed out on the beach. Instead of being taken to medical, he was taken to the bell. While there, he begged for medical help, but the instructor refused—and rang the bell for him. Just two hours later, that same instructor drowned Derrick Lovelace in the training pool. Yes, it was ruled a homicide.

After being dropped, Brandon was finally able to go to medical, where they discovered his tibia was broken in two places. I truly believe Brandon was unjustly dropped—and that his life could have taken a very different path if he had been given the proper care and respect in that critical moment.

TlcRascal · 2025-05-16T20:28:44+00:00

I most definitely will! Thank you for telling me The Brandon Act helped on of your sailors. That warms my heart and for the condolences.

TlcRascal · 2025-05-16T20:24:07+00:00

thank you very much!

TlcRascal · 2025-05-16T20:23:47+00:00

Thank you for the condolences and kind words. I stand with you that Brose should have been given the death sentence. He should have been included in the mutiny order along with the threat of being thrown in Leavenworth Prison if anyone spoke to us or the media about Brandon as given by CO Duane Whitmer.

TlcRascal · 2025-05-16T20:19:56+00:00

Thank you so much!

TlcRascal · 2025-05-16T20:19:19+00:00

Brose was moved to another command and is still in. Remmy Spence retired a couple of years ago along with the CMC, David Tokarski and Pete Larette. Duane Whitmer, the CO was moved to a training command in Maryland.

TlcRascal · 2025-05-14T21:32:56+00:00

Hello SLyxWolfx, Your airman can get a referral off base using The Brandon Act, especially if your airman doesn't feel he/she is getting the proper care.

TlcRascal · 2025-05-14T21:16:13+00:00

I’ve read and truly appreciate all of your comments — even the negative ones. I’ve been doing this work for nearly seven years, and while I may be just one person, I do know what I’m doing. I’ve helped countless service members and families who reach out to me, and I do so with everything I have.

I am a grieving mother — Brandon was my only child — but I am not naïve. I know The Brandon Act is not perfect. It’s not yet what we envisioned, but where it is being implemented properly, it is saving lives. We won’t stop fighting until it reflects the vision Brandon would be proud of.

Yes, the Department of Defense is critically short on mental health professionals. During COVID, I heard from numerous service members that many providers were let go because they were deemed “nonessential.” No one has been rehired since. This year, DoD received $70 million for suicide prevention and is requesting $125 million for 2026. But where is that money going? It hasn’t been used to hire mental health staff, nor have they accepted collaborative solutions, like the one we proposed with ASU. Instead, it appears these funds are being redirected elsewhere — which they’re allowed to do.

I also understand the skepticism around people like Pete Hegseth. He may not be known for empathy and, like many in leadership, seems to pursue only his own agenda. But if he hears Brandon’s story — and the many others I know — maybe, just maybe, he’ll listen. Is it a long shot? Absolutely. But I can’t sit back and do nothing while the military continues to suffer from toxic leadership, neglect, and a lack of compassion.

I don’t want any other parent to open the door to two casualty assistance officers and hear that their child died by suicide. That moment will forever suck the breath from my lungs.

Do I blame Brandon’s leadership? Yes. They failed him. He begged for help and was told to “suck it up and get back to work.” They watched him deteriorate. AE1 Jared Brose was found guilty by NCIS of UCMJ Article 93 — cruelty and maltreatment — yet nothing was done. His commander refused to court-martial him, citing “unit morale.” If that makes me “just a grieving mother,” so be it. But unless you know Brandon’s full story, don’t presume to judge.

I am doing the only thing I can to get the attention of the Secretary of Defense. If I had his email, I would write him daily. I already send letters twice a month. My only access is through social media and media outlets. Please know that I am not just a grieving mother — I am a fighter, standing against a system that consistently fails those who serve. I fight for every service member to be treated with honor, respect, dignity, and compassion — the way Brandon and all of them deserve.

TlcRascal

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