Buchwald: I Was Molested

Art Buchwald, writing in his nationally syndicated column about sexual abuse of children, revealed he was molested twice.

"Not only little Catholic boys, but also little boys of other faiths have been molested - not by priests but rather by civilian pedophiles in the land," the 76-year-old Buchwald wrote Thursday. "I confess that as a child I was a victim of molestation, and it has left its mark on me."

He was not immediately available for comment through his agent in Washington.

Buchwald said he was 13 and living in the New York borough of Queens.

One Saturday, he was hitchhiking to visit a friend in New Jersey. The driver who gave him a ride was well-dressed and friendly, asking him where he went to school and whether he liked girls. The man then told Buchwald an erotic story. "As he went into details, I became aroused. Then he put his hand on me," Buchwald wrote.

When the car stopped for a red light, he says he jumped out and ran into the woods, hiding there for an hour.

"Years went by and I never told anyone about the experience."

Buchwald said there was another incident, when he was a 20-year-old Marine serving on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific.

"The air raid siren sounded and I ducked into a space that could only hold two men. The other person was a Marine master sergeant. I couldn't believe it, but he tried to kiss me. I fought for my life and finally escaped."

Buchwald says he's telling of his experiences now because "there are so many people out there with similar experiences."