CASEY BRADEN

Explosive Ordnance Disposal First Class (EOD1), U.S. Navy
Juris Doctorate, George Washington University

Following in the footsteps of his father, who served in the Army during WWII as a paratrooper, Casey knew he wanted to join the military and provide support to others serving post 9/11. Casey experienced several injuries during his eight years of service, including his first and last deployments. During his first deployment in the North Arabian Gulf aboard USS Saipan he tore every ligament in his right ankle when, as a first responder, he was reacting to a shipboard fire and fell down a hatch to the below deck. The ligaments were never reattached due to continued deployment requirements. While on his last deployment to Afghanistan at FOB Shank, Casey began suffering from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to multiple combat situations from his extremely high-tempo missions that occurred every night.

Following his time of service, Casey will continually have to complete physical therapy to keep his knee and ankle strong throughout the years. He makes it a point to have goals to work towards which help keep him mentally motivated and allows him to uplift others. He shared that “The mind is a powerful tool. You have the ability to overcome most obstacles if you have the mental fortitude to deal with them head on.”

Casey completed his MBA at the University of Phoenix in May of 2018 before being accepted to Sentinels of Freedom. Determined to become an attorney, he applied to SOF for continued educational support during this next transition where he started working towards his Juris Doctorate at California Western School of Law. While completing his first year of studies he received the American Jurisprudence Award for having the highest grade in his class and was encouraged by multiple professors to transfer to a more prestigious school. Casey took their advice and was accepted for transfer to George Washington University in DC. With the support of his wife, who is currently serving in the National Guard, Casey moved out across the country ahead of his family to get settled before they would join him. His year at George Washington University has been successful and he was just accepted for a summer 2021 internship to General Dynamics thanks to introductions made on behalf of Sentinels of Freedom and Casey’s proven dedication to his education. He is looking forward to learning during his experience this summer and is set to graduate in 2022 when he hopes to be employed at a law firm.