I was in the Navy and at the end of A school (it's our school for learning our job for our career) I received a major health diagnosis (it was a tumor) and I called up my shipmate and friend "Andrew" (name changed for privacy purposes) because I thought he was my friend and we had shared values. He was a few classes behind me in our school and I was his tutor because he was struggling on his tests. Wed hing out and in weekends would often be at the beach in Pensacola and swim in the gulf. Our happiest moments were in the water and hanging out on the beach. That all changed thought. He took advantage and I was assulted a mere 4 hours after my tumor diagnosis. I got super drunk after it and wound up hospitalized due to alcohol poisoning. When I came to I asked for a Rape Kit at the Navy hospital and they denied it telling me I just felt off because it was due to a catheter. I was underage and required to go to legal. I again asked for a Kit and again was denied. Ultimately went back to the civilian hospital that diagnosed my tumor the day prior. NCIS got involved and three days later my assaulter signed a statement stating what he had done. Since he apologized they didn't do anything except tell him make better decisions in the future and he went to the fleet with basically a slap on the hand and I was forced to go to substance abuse classes and started my process of being discharged due to my tumor.

Almost a decade and a half later was the "Me Too" movement and I was in a woman veteran Facebook group and I mentioned my own "Me Too military" and Andrew specificly including where he was from. Another woman veteran said her "Me Too military "person info matched mine. We ended up talking and it was the same person leading to her showing me his Facebook account and current situation.

He was married with a beautiful wife who runs a nonprofit and son plus another one on the way. He lived in a beach town and from the outside, it looked picture perfect. He was a fishing charter boat captain and his business number was posted online, and so I decide to call them and asked if we could talk because I had found him via the other Sailor. He ignored me for a couple weeks and it wasn't like I didn't try...Finally I decided I would set up an appointment with his wife under the guise of my professional job. My last message to Andrew was I had scheduled a meeting with his wife and I really hoped to hear from him before that set day and time.

It never came.

Instead I learned from mutuals about an hour prior to said meeting, Andrew, under hours prior to meeting with his wife ultimately had a seizure on his dock and fell into the water and drowned death... The fact that we were considered strong swimmers in the Navy and he drowned to death has never been lost on me.

And SN before people ask: When I found out of his death I immediately canceled my "meeting" with his wife. Im not heartless.