N. Kingstown VFW Commander Resigns Amid Stolen Valor Allegations

NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI — The commander of North Kingstown's VFW post resigned Monday after being accused of lying about serving in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Sarah Cavanaugh is now the subject of a stolen valor investigation by the National Office of the Veterans of Foreign War. Cavanaugh is accused of lying about being a Marine combat veteran, having lung cancer and earning a Purple Heart, NBC 10 reported.

"The VFW takes accusations of stolen valor very seriously and is actively investigating," The National Office of the Veterans of Foreign Wars told NBC 10.

Patch reached out to both Cavanaugh and the VFW's National Office and will update this story when we know more.

Cavanaugh has served as commander of VFW Post 152 since October 2020. She began drawing scrutiny after she claimed to be fighting stage IV lung cancer.

HunterSeven Foundation, a veterans organization in Providence, said it's refunding donations it collected after sharing Cavanuagh's story on Instagram, Task & Purpose reported.

"To be clear, no monies were received by this individual, HunterSeven Foundation did not raise funds for this individual specifically, and any donations that were a result after sharing this individual's story were refunded to their original form of payment through our online fundraising platform," the foundation told Task & Purpose. "We are disheartened by this circumstance, but will not allow it to derail us from our mission and helping those in need."