We both have brain injuries and the lack of healthcare in Maine would render us helpless and dependent on the VA healthcare system until we found out what was wrong with us. The fact that we couldn’t get any treatment no matter how many times we begged for it created mental health issues out of our control until we got the treatment we needed to lower inflammation levels in the brain.
As a result of these disabilities, we were vulnerable to those who abused their power and treated someone with mental health struggles more like a drain on society as opposed to a person with traumatic experiences and mental health issues who needs help. Jennifer and Lee are two years into treatment in California where the brain inflammation was discovered by a rare disorder doctor specializing in autoimmune dysfunction.
The healthcare in California far surpasses the low quality healthcare in Maine.
The bill named in Caserta’s honor would create “Brandon Act” reporting, making it easier for service members to seek mental health care anonymously
PO3 Brandon Caserta, U.S. Navy
WASHINGTON — Today, Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA) and Teri and Patrick Caserta, parents of fallen United States Navy Petty Officer Third Class Brandon Caserta, announced the introduction of The Brandon Act.
The bill would allow service members to anonymously report and seek mental health treatment by using a safe word like “Brandon Act.” It is designed to protect service members who experience mental health emergencies that result from hazing, bullying, or any other issue. It would allow them to seek help anonymously and, if necessary, outside of the chain of command. The bill’s introduction comes on the second anniversary of Brandon Caserta’s death from suicide, which he said was prompted by bullying and hazing within his unit.
“Brandon had a smile that made everyone want to smile. He was a very charismatic and upbeat young man. He made everyone’s day better no matter what they were going through. Brandon has always helped everyone he could. The Brandon Act would do this for his fellow service members in his death,” Teri and Patrick Caserta said, “Brandon did not die in vain and his legacy for helping others will continue long after his death when The Brandon Act is passed.”
Rep. Seth Moulton said: “Brandon tragically lost his life because he wasn’t able to get support for his mental health—something we should provide every American, especially every American hero in uniform. This bill will ensure our service members can get help and have no fear of retaliation for doing so, as it’s the right thing to do. Although we’ll never get Brandon back, his legacy will be the lives of many more great Americans he saves through this bill, and I’m proud of his parents who have fought so hard to tell his story and make this change.”
Brandon Caserta died by suicide on June 25, 2018 on the flight line at Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia. After his death, his parents and friends discovered six notes in which Brandon attributed his suicide to persistent hazing and bullying from some members and leaders of his Navy helicopter squadron.
The Brandon Act expands the existing law that regulates how service members are referred for mental health evaluations, in order to provide a confidential channel for service members to self-report mental health issues. The process would protect the anonymity of service members, similar to the restricted reporting option that protects victims of sexual assault.
Moulton made expanding mental health care and breaking the stigma around seeking help a top priority since disclosing last year that he is managing post traumatic stress from his service in Iraq as a United States Marine. In addition to The Brandon Act, Moulton has secured mandatory mental health check ups for service members who saw combat within 21 days of leaving the battlefield in the FY20 National Defense Authorization Act.
He also co-introduced, with fellow veteran Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT), the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, which would make 9-8-8 the national number for mental health emergencies. The bill has passed in the Senate, and is one step away from a vote on the House floor. Yesterday, the FCC announced that it would issue a final rule on the designation of 9-8-8 as the national suicide prevention hotline in mid-July.
A copy of The Brandon Act is available for download here.
A legislative summary for The Brandon Act is available for download here.
Read more from the original source on Rep. Seth Moulton’s website here.
AI Image of an evil woman lying in a court of law…
Colleen Bushnell, a self proclaimed “MST advocate” working with Protect Our Defenders (PoD), didn’t just perjure herself in a court of law but she lied in two different states about her sons being sexually molested by the ex-husband and his family (who now have custody).
She accused them ALL of sex crimes in a court of law with no evidence where ANYONE accused of crimes against children are demonized in the public sphere. Much like my husband’s abusive ex-wife, she weaponized the court system to regain control of the situation after losing physical custody. Obviously, she had no history of “reports of abuse” to use as evidence. She is the abuser.
Law enforcement conducted an extensive investigation in two separate states only to find out that she simply made it up in an effort to get her children back under false pretenses. Colleen Bushnell has a history of falsely accusing people when she is the actual problem.
For about fifteen years, she’s been pushing herself out there as a “military sexual trauma advocate” despite treating veterans like shit. She has zero credibility with Congress, the Air Force, or in any court of law, therefore a significant risk to any client’s case or a movement. I met Colleen, the “advocate,” via Protect Our Defenders in 2012 and she started abusing me because I was chosen to testify for the House Armed Services Committee hearings in 2013 during the Lackland Air Force Base basic training sex scandal.
She was jealous because she wasn’t chosen to speak in front of Congress (probably because they vetted her) and she made my life a living hell from the time she found out until I testified. She spent weeks coming at me about how all my thoughts on any matters were wrong… and that she was the authority on the subject. You don’t speak for me or tell me that I don’t have freedom of speech after serving in silence for 17 years until my medical retirement was official. She had the nerve to fake console* me afterwards to get attention in the media and then began the gang bullying campaign against me on-line when she posted a fake “cease and desist.”
(The only thing I ever said about Colleen is that I didn’t want to work with her. I have every right to pick and choose who I will and will not work with. She is not a team player, she was abusing me, and she proved who she really is when she found out I didn’t want to work with her… she ruined me with lies and defamation on social media, the exact same thing she accused me of. Thanks for the hate Jeannie.)
*I was crying because of the abuse Colleen Bushnell put me through prior to the difficult task of testifying to congress about something so personal… and the fact that Air Force generals, most members of the HASC, and the audience who supported them walked out before hearing the testimony of two Air Force leaders. It was overwhelming to be treated so poorly before the testimony, during the testimony, and after the testimony after a lifetime of abuse and dehumanization. Colleen is connected to Nancy Parrish and is still a shill for Protect Our Defenders to this day. Both of them have a history of shutting down veterans to maintain control of the narrative.
This photo opp is so fake. Both of these women tried to control the narrative the entire time and beat me down because I didn’t see things their way. I wasn’t interested in demonizing the entire military, making this a woman only issue when the majority of victims in the military are male, and felt it was important that we include all crime, not just one. What do these people not get about sexual assault victims being trapped in unsafe situations and in harm’s way. There’s a reason suicide, homicide, and missing cases are a thing and of course these clowns won’t even address it. Nancy Parrish and Colleen Bushnell had a personal agenda to pass a sexual assault only law in Jackie Speier’s name. And they snuffed out anyone who got in their way. They also stole a survivor’s bill for all military crime and perverted it back into a sexual assault only bill. Notice the SA Express-News made the photo about Nancy and Colleen.
Colleen is a proven liar and still pushes the ineffective policies of military leaders for Protect Our Defenders to this day just like she did for the Air Force as a public affairs specialist. She is a master manipulator. Protect Our Defenders and the shitty people they choose to represent the masses is why this “movement” is failing. We get accused of falsely accusing people of sex crimes and PoD promotes folks who in fact do have a history of false accusations and ruin our credibility. We’re done watching this trainwreck.
You don’t have to convince me she’s a false accuser, she falsely accused me too. She’s a bully and when she’s confronted destroys your character to silence you and creates a collective disbelief or condemnation of the victim. Then she makes herself out to be the victim, just like the military did. Colleen Bushnell and Protect Our Defenders don’t stand for the reality of the circumstances service members are forced to deal with on their own while being abused. They are engaging in the same kind of behavior and their lack of knowledge of the issues and short sighted efforts are putting us in harm’s way.
Editor’s Note:
It’s not okay for me to be an alleged domestic violence victim who got charged with a crime for the alleged abuser’s alcohol instead of helped. But it is okay for Colleen Bushnell to falsely accuse her ex-husband and his family, get busted for it, and advocate on behalf of ALL military sexual assault victims with an organization run by civilians and military officers who are fucking us.
Cynthia Feathers, Saratoga Springs, for appellant.
Mitch S. Kessler, Cohoes, attorney for the children.
Rose, J. Appeal from an order of the Family Court of Montgomery County (Cortese, J.), entered August 31, 2010, which, among other things, granted petitioner’s application, in a proceeding pursuant to Domestic Relations Law article 5-A, to enforce a prior order of custody and visitation entered in Texas.
Respondent, the mother of two sons (born in 1999 and 2002), refused to release the children to the paternal grandparents for visitation and instead brought them to New York from Texas. A Texas court thereafter issued a temporary order granting custody to the father and petitioner, the paternal grandmother. Petitioner then commenced this proceeding seeking registration and enforcement of the Texas order (see Domestic Relations Law §§ 77-d, 77-g). Respondent did not contest registration of the Texas order, but requested that Family Court exercise temporary emergency jurisdiction based on her allegations that the paternal grandparents had sexually abused the children (see Domestic Relations Law § 76-c). Family Court placed the children in the temporary custody of the Montgomery County Department of Social Services and ordered an investigation into respondent’s allegations. Upon conclusion of the investigation, Family Court found the allegations to be unfounded and granted enforcement of the Texas order.
On her appeal, respondent contends that Family Court did not conduct an adequate investigation into her allegations prior to its determination. This claim, however, is not [*2]supported by the record. Family Court heard, without objection, testimony that the children met with a local sexual abuse validator who determined that there was no sexual abuse, and it reviewed an investigative report prepared by authorities in Texas after respondent made the same allegations there. The Texas authorities conducted an exhaustive review and found no evidence to substantiate the allegations of sexual abuse. In light of the information rebutting respondent’s claims, we agree with Family Court that her unsubstantiated allegations were insufficient to warrant the invocation of temporary emergency jurisdiction (see Matter of Hearne v Hearne, 61 AD3d 758, 759 [2009]; Matter of Randall v Randall, 305 AD2d 512, 513 [2003]).
Mercure, J.P., Lahtinen, Kavanagh and McCarthy, JJ., concur. Ordered that the order is affirmed, without costs.
Talk by 22-year Army Veteran Eli Painted Crow as part of the “Voices of Women Veterans” workshop at the Veterans for Peace 2006 National Convention August 11, 2006 in Seattle, WA.
Sara Rich, Mother of Suzanne Swift speaking at the Veterans for Peace 2006 National Convention. Suzanne Swift was sexually assaulted while serving in Iraq by members of her own unit. (August 11, 2006)
Press Conference on Sexual Assault in the U.S. military held August 12, 2006 at the Veterans for Peace National Convention UW HUB, Seattle, WA (1)
Press Conference on Sexual Assault in the U.S. military held August 12, 2006 at the Veterans for Peace National Convention UW HUB, Seattle, WA (2)
Press Conference on Sexual Assault in the U.S. military held August 12, 2006 at the Veterans for Peace National Convention UW HUB, Seattle, WA (3)
Press Conference on Sexual Assault in the U.S. military held August 12, 2006 at the Veterans for Peace National Convention UW HUB, Seattle, WA (4)
Press Conference on Sexual Assault in the U.S. military held August 12, 2006 at the Veterans for Peace National Convention UW HUB, Seattle, WA (5)
“Despite 25 years of Pentagon studies, task force recommendations and congressional hearings, sexual assaults and rape in the military continue unabated. In 2010 the Department of Defense (DoD) conducted a survey of active duty members which revealed that only a small percentage of the more than 19,000 incidents of rapes and sexual assaults involving service members was actually reported. For the record, an estimated 13.5 percent of sexual assaults and rapes saw the light day—and only 8 percent of those reports resulted in prosecution—in the end 465 service members were either administratively discharged or punished through the court-martial process —that’s about 2.5 percent of the total suspected acts of sexual assaults and rape—a good percentage for a direct mail response, but unacceptable for a justice system.” Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA) (November 16, 2011)
“The sergeants and fellow soldiers in A Co., 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, Ft. Wainwright, AK began tormenting and threatening one of their own. A portion of his unit even paid a visit to one of Nick’s friends from college, threatening to beat him up if he did not stop associating with Nick. He was an injured, isolated soldier who wanted to serve his country however he could. He would have done anything in his power to remain one of the elite. But he was no good to his unit and they saw him as an easy target. He feared for his life several times. It became hell for him and Nicholas saw no way to survive other than to leave.”
“Nick went AWOL for the month of February 2005. He was set up by an acquaintance and caught by his company commander and the MP’s. It was reported to me that he was not taken in easily. The MP’s turned their backs while the unit beat him up. It was soon after this that Nicholas attempted suicide. I’ve been told that the mental ward was where my son felt safe. After a couple of weeks he was returned to his unit. In April he left again, this time flying to his home town in West Virginia. He stayed with some friends, got a job and enrolled in college. But Nick was a patriot and knew the commitment he had made. He decided to return to the Army, hoping that he would not be sent back to his unit in Alaska.”
“He was taken to the US Army Personnel Control Facility (PCF), US Army Armor Center, Ft. Knox, KY. The day he arrived. near the end of May, he signed paperwork for a dishonorable discharge in lieu of a court martial. Somehow, the abuse he suffered in Alaska found him at Ft. Knox. On June 15th he was admitted to a hospital in Radcliff, KY for another suicide attempt. Again, he chose the safety of the mental ward. On June 27th his discharge was approved. Nick was released from the hospital on July 12th. He made arrangements to go home on the 14th but he never made it. Nicholas was murdered in the latrine and hung on the back of a latrine door in the 7pm hour of July 13, 2005.”
Hundreds of suspicious deaths occur within our military branches each year. Our military kills their own soldiers to satisfy their needs.
Be careful: if you see too much, they’ll kill you.
If you struggle with something, they will kill you.
If you ask the wrong questions, they’ll kill you.
If you are in the wrong place… even simply by chance… they will kill you.
You are not protected by the government you serve. The people who “stand behind you” are the ones who will stab you in the back. They will give the order to have you killed.
Kim Slapak-Smith
If you have any information about this case, please contact me through this website.
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 