We were lucky to catch up with Teri Caserta recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Teri thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
The idea for The Brandon Caserta Foundation wasn’t born in a boardroom or brainstorm—it came from the deepest pain a parent can endure. On June 25, 2018, our only child
, Brandon, died by suicide while serving in the U.S. Navy. He was trapped in a toxic command climate, crying out for help, and denied the support he so desperately needed. His final letter made it clear: he didn’t want to die—he just couldn’t survive the environment any longer.
In the immediate aftermath of our loss, we were devastated, but we also knew one thing with complete clarity: this should never happen to another family. Brandon’s death was preventable. The system failed him—and we were determined to change it.
What started as grief quickly became purpose. We founded The Brandon Caserta Foundation not only to honor our son’s life, but to give a voice to every service member silently struggling in the ranks. We saw a glaring gap in the military—service members didn’t feel safe asking for help. There was fear, retaliation, and stigma. We co-authored and fought to pass The Brandon Act, a law that now gives service members a confidential way to seek mental health care without chain-of-command interference and without retaliation.
What made us certain this was worthwhile? The constant stream of phone calls, messages, and letters from service members and families—people thanking us, sharing their own fears, telling us The Brandon Act saved them. We weren’t just solving a problem. We were building a lifeline.
This wasn’t just a unique approach—it was a necessary one. Our excitement came from knowing that every change we push for could be the difference between life and death for someone’s child. That’s what fuels us every single day.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Patrick and Teri Caserta are founders of The Brandon Caserta Foundation. We never imagined that we would be leading a nonprofit organization focused on military mental health and suicide prevention. This calling was born from unimaginable tragedy—when our only child, Brandon, died by suicide while serving in the U.S. Navy on June 25, 2018. He was a bright, compassionate young man who found himself in a toxic and abusive command climate that refused to acknowledge or address his suffering. In his final letter, he made it clear that he didn’t want to die—he just couldn’t survive the environment any longer.
In the wake of his death, Patrick and I knew we had to act. We turned our grief into purpose and began working day and night to change the system that failed our son. This led to the creation of The Brandon Act, a bipartisan law signed in December 2021, which allows service members to confidentially request mental health care without having to go through their chain of command—helping to eliminate fear, stigma, and retaliation. The law is named after Brandon, but it exists for every service member who feels alone and unheard.
The Brandon Caserta Foundation was born out of that mission. We provide education, advocacy, and direct outreach to service members, families, military leadership, and lawmakers. Our goal is to raise awareness about mental health in the military, ensure the proper implementation of The Brandon Act, and continue fighting for reforms that will protect our defenders. We help military members understand their rights, guide families through unimaginable loss, and push for accountability at every level of leadership.
What sets us apart is that we are not just advocates—we are a military family who lost everything. We fight from the heart. We understand the pain, the frustration, the silence—and we’re not afraid to speak up. We are proud that we’ve turned our deepest loss into a movement that is saving lives and giving service members hope.
What we want people to know most is this: Brandon’s story is not unique—but it should never be repeated. Our defenders deserve better. They deserve respect, dignity, and access to care. Through this foundation, we will never stop fighting to make sure they get it.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
One of the most defining moments of our journey came just weeks after Brandon died. Patrick and I were sitting in our living room, surrounded by Brandon’s household goods that had just arrived, so many photos, and his final letter. The weight of grief was suffocating. It would have been easier to retreat, to disappear into the pain. But instead, we looked at each other and we knew we were thinking the same thing, “We have to do something. We can’t let this happen to another family.”
We had no experience lobbying, no background in legislation. Just grief—and a fierce determination to honor our son. So, we started making phone calls. We wrote letters. We traveled to D.C. countless times, all on our own dime, and sat in offices with lawmakers telling Brandon’s story over and over again. Each time it reopened the wound, but each time, it gave us a little more strength.
There were moments we were told “this will never happen,” but we never gave up. Three and a half years later, The Brandon Act was signed into law. That moment didn’t erase the pain, but it proved what resilience, love, and purpose can do. It proved that one voice—one life—can spark a movement.
And that fire still fuels everything we do today. Through The Brandon Caserta Foundation, we continue the fight to ensure every service member knows they can ask for help—without fear, shame, or retaliation. Every call we take from a struggling family, every life saved because of The Brandon Act, reminds us that this work matters. Brandon didn’t get the help he needed—but we will make sure others do. That’s our mission. That’s our promise.
Now, we’re pushing for full implementation—through education, training, and most urgently, a $2 million signage campaign across all military facilities. Visibility saves lives. The more service members who see The Brandon Act, the more will use it—and the more families we can spare from this kind of loss.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
With Patrick’s 22-year Navy career and my lifelong connection to the military, we wholeheartedly believed that if someone wore the uniform and honored their duty, the military would honor its duty to them. We trusted that if a service member was struggling—especially with their mental health—there were systems and safeguards in place to protect and support them. That belief was tragically shattered on June 25, 2018, when our son, Brandon Caserta, died by suicide after being trapped in a toxic and abusive command environment that refused to listen or offer help.
The hardest part wasn’t just losing Brandon—it was realizing that no one was held accountable. That the very system we believed in and the one Patrick served faithfully for 22 years, failed Brandon completely. We had to unlearn everything we thought we knew about how things “should” work and accept that real change only happens when people stand up and demand it, speak out and fight for it, and refuse to back down. Brandon deserves justice—and more importantly, there is no place for toxic, abusive leadership and abuse of power in the Armed Forces. Not then. Not now. Not ever.
That’s why Patrick and I created The Brandon Caserta Foundation and fought to pass The Brandon Act. We had to turn our grief into purpose, and in doing so, learned a deeper truth: systems don’t change themselves. People do. And sometimes, the most important thing you can do is stand up and be the person who changes everything—so no other family has to live this pain.
Today, our mission is to ensure every service member knows their rights, feels empowered to ask for help, and NEVER has to suffer in silence again.
Contact Info:
- Website: httsp://www.brandoncasertafoundation.org
- Instagram: @thebrandonact
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bcasertafoundation
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/the-brandon-act-719821228/
- Twitter: https://x.com/BrandoncasertaF
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandonact6777
- Other: TikTok – @thebrandonact
