Former Boy Scout Recounts Story of Abuse

Darrell Jackson, 57, of The Bronx, N.Y., is interviewed in New York on April 30, 2019. He was abused by scoutmaster Freddie Modica after joining the Boy Scouts in 1972 at the age of 10. Richard Drew/AP

NEW YORK—Sharing their stories doesn’t come easily for these middle-aged men. At times, their eyes well up or their voices crack as they describe being sexually abused in the Boy Scouts and suffering from emotional damage long afterward.

Looking back, they all remember vividly how excited they were to become Scouts.