Not to necro an old topic but...

[Garibaldi]

This is hard for me here. Recently I was told that my former commander and friend had resigned from CAP but the person who told me wouldn't discuss why. I did some research on my own today (while talking to a former cadet who messaged me to thank me for being a good influence on her) and discovered an old thread regarding this issue.

Having spent a great deal of time with this person between 1994 and 1999, when I left WIWG, I found it very hard to believe that he would have been guilty of, let alone accused of, such a heinous act. I won't name names, but it is public record and was discussed here (http://captalk.net/index.php?topic=13385.0).

This isn't the first time something like this has touched my life. When I was a cadet, I was physically abused by a SM (again, not naming names). I fought hard to put that behind me. Then, when I rejoined as a SM in 1993 I was told that the former commander of a local unit had been arrested for similar charges. My friend took over that unit right after that incident.

I just don't understand how or why this still happens. My theory is that something is fundamentally wrong with some people. He claims it was a "three year dark period of his life." I had nothing but respect for this man. He was instrumental in bringing me up as a SM in CAP. Now, my faith has been shattered. As a victim of abuse, I recognize that there is a pattern among victims turning into abusers. I'm really not sure why I am saying all this but I felt the need to say something, anything, to anyone who feels they may have been abused or knows someone who has been or currently is being abused. SAY SOMETHING! Tell your parents, your priest, a trusted friend. Don't let the threat of "if you tell anyone I'll do something to you or your parents" get to you. It's just a threat. TELL SOMEONE.

/rant

[Private Investigator]

Thanks for sharing sir.