|
||
|
last modified: Friday, February 11, 2005 |
||
|
original release date:
2/11/05 |
||
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
||
|
Cause of death reported for Pennsylvania cadet |
||
| MAXWELL AFB, Ala. — The Osceola County Sheriff’s Dept. has released the official cause of death for a Civil Air Patrol cadet found dead yesterday in Kissimee, Fla. Lt. Andy Lang said an autopsy determined that Rebecca Marseglia, 16, of Levittown, Penn., died of self-inflicted injuries. The medical examiner estimated that Marseglia died within 24 hours after she disappeared on Feb. 7 from a Kissimee Travelodge where she was staying with a group from the CAP Pennsylvania Wing. The teenager’s body was recovered in Kissimee at approximately 8:30 EST Feb. 10 in a heavily wooded area off Highway 192. She had been the subject of an intense search by the local sheriff’s department as well as members of the CAP Pennsylvania and Florida wings and the girl’s father. Marseglia and her group were in Florida on a trip to Walt Disney World and Cape Canaveral. The cadets had worked for months to raise money for the trip. According to reports from Pennsylvania Wing adult members who accompanied the cadets on the trip, Marseglia left the group without explanation on Monday, just prior to the group’s scheduled flight home. According to Pennsylvania Wing Commander Col. Al Applebaum, however, CAP has not yet determined why Marseglia left the hotel, or where she was while searchers were looking for her. “This is one of the most tragic situations we have ever encountered in the history of our organization,” said Maj. Gen. Dwight Wheless, CAP national commander. “We may never have a complete picture of the challenges Becky was facing in her life. Still, we owe it to her, her family, and our other cadets to closely examine this tragedy and see if we can learn anything from it that will help us better mentor and support our young people. Today’s CAP cadets will be tomorrow’s national leaders, and it’s our responsibility to stand beside them as they navigate the sometimes treacherous waters of adolescence.” Wheless says CAP has always considered safety its primary concern, particularly for cadets. That philosophy is the foundation of all CAP’s policies and procedures. For example, Wheless says, CAP was one of the first national organizations to require fingerprinting and background screening for potential members, primarily for the safety of cadets. CAP also requires Cadet Protection Policy training for all new members above the age of 18. This training promotes a drug-free lifestyle, and zero tolerance for sexual abuse, hazing and discrimination. The training also helps adult leaders pinpoint behavioral changes that may indicate drug use or emotional difficulties. “CAP has more than 60,000 members from all walks of life,” Wheless said. “You might consider us a microcosm of our current society, because within our organization, we deal with many of the issues you see throughout the nation as a whole. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15 to 24-year-olds in our nation. And for every teen suicide, there are more than 100 unsuccessful attempts. We must continue to look for new ways to support and encourage our young people. They are America’s future.” In addition to its required training, CAP also offers members a variety of other programs. The Drug Demand Reduction Program stresses drug awareness and education for both adult and cadet members. The Values for Living moral leadership program includes training in suicide prevention, as does the Critical Incident Stress Management training available to members through the CAP Chaplain Service. CAP’s online Knowledgebase for members includes information on counseling skills and links to the U.S. Air Force suicide prevention and awareness education materials. CAP also offers online relevant online modules on leadership, counseling, conflict resolution, discipline and abuse prevention. The national newspaper, Civil Air Patrol News, has also addressed suicide prevention. During its last three national conferences, the CAP Chaplain Service has presented a seminar called “Seniors as Shepherds.” This seminar helps CAP leaders understand and practice the most effective management techniques for different kinds of personalities. Wheless says CAP continues to evaluate and add new components to its training programs for cadets and their leaders. He notes that the U.S. Air Force, for which CAP is the official civilian auxiliary, recently completed a new suicide prevention and information training program for its military personnel. “Theirs is one of many programs we’ll be examining as we continue to emphasize this kind of training.” Civil Air Patrol is a nonprofit organization with almost 60,000 members nationwide. It performs 95% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 25,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 60 years. |
||
|
-30- |
||
|
Media Inquiries: |
||
|
|
MEDIA RELEASE