THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 22, 1996 TAG: 9605220002
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Opinion
SOURCE: By JIM STARLING
LENGTH: 53 lines
Does anyone really know why Adm. Jeremy ``Mike'' Boorda, the Navy's senior officer, committed suicide last Thursday? He left notes, and at least one indicated he shot himself because of questions raised about possible awards violation.
There must be more to Admiral Boorda's drastic action than concerns about his alleged wearing of a possibly unauthorized ``V'' for valor on two low-level medals. The distinction, in Admiral Boorda's case, was more administrative than actual anyway. And as breaches of military ethics go, well, let's put it this way: As compared to a skeleton in a closet, the controversy was the equivalent of an old chicken bone in a shoe box. Still, reporters of two news organizations were set to interview Admiral Boorda on the day of his death regarding his wearing of the combat V on two decorations. But even if anyone had proved he knowingly violated regulations, he stopped wearing the disputed devices many months ago.
So why did Admiral Boorda pull the trigger? Facing whatever controversy reporters could drum up would have been a thousand times less traumatic for all concerned than the confusion created by the CNO's taking his own life. It was an irrational act for someone so attuned to the needs of the men and women who serve in the Navy, not to mention his family.
The awards issue was small, but if it was enough to cause him to give up everything and plunge the Navy into turmoil, then it was only because he was already carrying the weight of hundreds of other pressures. Ever since Mike Boorda took over as CNO, he had faced one scandal after another. Because of this steady flow of troublesome incidents, some critics were beginning to question the effectiveness of his leadership.
While he seemed to take the criticism in stride, maybe that appearance of calm and poise was a facade. Maybe under that likable, unflappable exterior was an increasingly anxious man who viewed himself, unreasonably, as a failure in spite of his constant record of success dating back more than 30 years.
Everyone who came into contact with Mike Boorda regarded him as a cool tower of strength, without pretense. Now I wonder if we saw the real man; was the ever-present smile genuine or part of a mask? We'll never know.
It's a good bet each Pentagon staff member who reported to him, each reporter who had interviewed him and each sailor who had heard him speak or shook his hand is now wondering what was going on in his mind May 17.
And those who had daily contact with him are no doubt wondering what they could have done differently. If Admiral Boorda needed help - and by definition a suicidal person needs help - he was good at hiding it.
Right now, each of us wishes Mike Boorda had not been so proficient in keeping that smiling mask in place. MEMO: Jim Starling is a Virginia Beach-based military-affairs reporter,
one of many to whom Admiral Boorda granted interviews. by CNB