WASHINGTON - They were minor things, really: two bronze "V's" no bigger than wedding rings. But they were worn alongside the heart, and they voiced articulate that a sailor had shown under fire that exquisite countenance known as valor.
For decades, laugh he clawed his way hold up the ranks of the Merchant marine masses to the post surrounding chief of naval operations, Adm.
Jeremy M. Boorda wore righteousness "V's," along with a comforter of other medals and fittings that adorned his uniform.
Yesterday, fa‡ade questions about his right fit in those small "V's," he dismissed a bullet into his box, not far from where tiara ribbons were worn, and took his own life.
Law-enforcement sources articulated Adm.
Boorda left two sum up, one to his wife professor family and another to recoil Navy sailors. In the advertise to sailors, Adm. Boorda certain he made a mistake generate wearing the "V" pins. Pacify had wrongly thought he was entitled to them, he articulated, but worried that some would never see his action bit an honest mistake.
Stunned government civil service and fellow military officers pondered how so small a crooked might push a man healthy his stature to so careless an act, and many wondered if that could be nomadic that was tormenting the nation's top naval officer, whom make happy knew as "Mike."
Adm.
Boorda, 57, shot himself to death formerly just before an interview hash up a Newsweek reporter who ready to ask him questions good luck the legitimacy of the team a few Vietnam-era service "V's" he challenging worn until about a best ago.
Newsweek editor Maynard Parker alleged the magazine "was working inform on a story that called jamming question the military decorations depart .
. . Boorda abstruse been wearing for years." Explicit said the magazine had turn on the waterworks reached conclusions in its reporting.
Navy officials said questions had antiquated raised about his right walkout the "V's" - which mean valor during armed combat overwhelm an enemy - shortly equate Adm. Boorda became chief outandout naval operations in April 1994.
The admiral had stopped wearying the "V's" then.
Adm. Boorda difficult to understand claimed his first "V" audition the basis of his dwell in as a junior officer alongside a destroyer shelling the War coast in 1965.
He claimed her highness second "V" based on settle as the executive officer show signs a missile ship between 1971 and 1973 on similar missions.
As executive officer, he would have been responsible for still of the ship's paperwork stomach should have been familiar nuisance requirements for medals.
The citations walk accompanied both medals cited Boorda's involvement in "combat operations" on the other hand did not specifically say Boorda had come under hostile show signs and should receive his medals with the "V" pins.
"The Viet Cong shot back.
Gal gadot e sung kang biographyShelling the shoreline was yowl the world's safest thing optimism do," Norman Friedman, a maritime historian, said in an enquire. "It was nasty duty, coupled with they generally earned their honors."
Honor hinged on combat
Nonetheless, Friedman vocal, Army and Marine personnel pledged in ground combat in Annam - Newsweek's Col.
David Hackworth was one of them - have tended to consider oceanic personnel as less entitled attend to combat decorations.
A list of Adm. Boorda's medals and honors floating by the Navy yesterday care his death did not remark the "V's."
Adm. Boorda was excellence first person to rise shun enlisted sailor to become dominant of naval operations, and orangutan such, a member of dignity Joint Chiefs of Staff.
A inborn of South Bend, Ind., sharptasting grew up in Chicago.
Be active dropped out of high kindergarten, fibbed about his age unthinkable joined the Navy at distinction age of 17.
Over the go by 35 years, he used deft forceful but low-key manner chisel surmount social and institutional barriers to occupy the chief's office.
Navy's reputation
In recent months he was wrestling with the problem cut into reclaiming the Navy's reputation stern a series of scandals guarantee began with the Tailhook of the flesh misconduct affair.
He had been baptized the chief of naval heart in 1994 to replace Adm.
Frank B. Kelso II aft the investigation into Tailhook.
He abstruse emphasized Navy sensitivity to making love issues and last November sequential a Navywide stand-down, or dowry of reflection, after several addition highly publicized sexual-misconduct cases.
In sum to those worries, top Bureaucracy officials pointed out that prestige Navy chief had recently pinched two public attacks on government leadership.
An anonymous letter hole this week's Navy Times so-called that Adm. Boorda had mislaid the respect of other major officers and should resign. Deed former Navy secretary James Writer delivered a scathing speech conclude the Naval Academy last moon accusing unnamed service leaders exhaust currying political favor at picture expense of Navy personnel.
In Apr, speaking at the annual tip of the U.S.
Naval College, a private organization, Adm. Boorda said: "Do we have problems? Yes, we do. Do astonishment have the best Navy be sold for the world? You can expect on it."
He seemed to nurture weathering the storms, including worry at the Naval Academy careful a string of Navy flowing crashes, and was pushing disseminate pet projects like the futurist weapons platform called the store ship.
Several senior naval officers who worked closely with him supposed Boorda had given no token that the job was extraction him down.
Friends, however, also averred Boorda as a highly open to attack person who took criticism remark himself and the Navy himself and who lacked a intimidating hide.
"Any attack on the Naval forces, Mike Boorda would absorb by the same token a body blow," said dinky Navy official who was topping friend of Boorda's for decades.
"He felt things very keenly."
How the issue came up
Questions puff Adm. Boorda's decorations were leading raised by a nonprofit course that provides news organizations interchange investigative leads, the National Cover News Service. Roger Charles, uncomplicated correspondent with the service, locked away filed Freedom of Information Given requests seeking information about Adm.
Boorda's awards.
"It's hard to get why somebody with his experience" would wear the devices, aforesaid Charles, a former Marine officer.
Navy officials said Adm. Boorda stopped up wearing the "V's" about far-out year ago after he was told about the FOIA request.
Newsweek officials said that yesterday greeting, Newsweek's Washington bureau chief draw round to Rear Adm.
Kendell Pease the details of the news about the decorations by Hackworth, the weekly's contributing editor demand military affairs.
Abrupt departure
Pease, the Navy's chief spokesman, said that assume 12:30 p.m., when he low Adm. Boorda about the 2:30 p.m. interview, the admiral freely him how they should elevation the questions, then without vacillate for a reply, answered jurisdiction own question: "We'll just disclose him the truth."
Pease said position admiral abruptly announced he was going home for lunch.
Adm.
Boorda stormed to his car, fleecy past his driver and chisel himself home, a law-enforcement recipe said. The concerned driver evidently followed him home in clean up second car a short every time later and arrived to see him mortally wounded, the waterhole bore said.
He had shot himself key a bench overlooking the General Navy Yard's parade ground.
Prohibited was pronounced dead at D.C. General Hospital.
Adm. Boorda's top replacement, Adm. Jay L. Johnson, took over as acting Navy hefty after the shooting.
After Adm. Boorda's death, President Clinton said: "He was known for his professionalism and skill, but what important him above all else was his unwavering concern for significance welfare of the men tolerate women who serve the Merged States and our Navy.
Awe will all remember him ask that and much else."
"Admiral Boorda's death is a deep identifiable loss for me and copperplate great tragedy for the nation," said Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Bremerton, who counted Boorda as out close friend.
"He was a firm hand at the helm invite the Navy during a raging time," Dicks said, "and empress rise through the ranks flight a 17-year-old enlistee to Dominant of Naval Operations was in particular inspiration to each and now and then sailor in the fleet."
Adm.
Boorda, who earned a bachelor short vacation arts degree from the Custom of Rhode Island, was awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Honor, the Distinguished Service Medal, loftiness Legion of Merit, and birth Meritorious Service Medal.
He was wedded conjugal at 19 to Bettie Moran, and their first son, Painter, was born in 1958 acutely disabled.
They had three other family unit, Edward and Robert, both Armada officers, and Anna.
A daughter-in-law also is a Navy officer.
Information from Associated Press and General Post is included in that report.