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Boorda eulogized as 'sailor's sailor'

May 21, 1996
Web posted at: 4:15 p.m. EDT

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Clinton praised Adm. Jeremy "Mike" Boorda Tuesday as "a special man who earned a special place in the heart of his Navy and our nation" at a memorial service in Washington.

The chief of naval operations took his own life last Thursday amid questions about whether he had earned the right to wear certain Vietnam combat medals on his uniform. Mourners also gathered at tributes in Norfolk, Virginia, and London.

Clinton

"Boorda had a deep sense of honor, which no person should ever question."

-- President Clinton (224K AIFF or WAV sound)

Speaking at a memorial service at Washington's National Cathedral, Clinton did not directly address the reasons for Boorda's suicide.

escort

But standing at the lectern, looking out at Boorda's family and military colleagues, Clinton praised the late admiral's "deep sense of honor, which no person should ever question."

"I very much want history to record that Mike Boorda's quiet determination to do all that we could do to end the slaughter of the children and the innocents in Bosnia and to bring that awful war to an end had a profound impact on his president and on the policy of this nation," Clinton said.

The ornate cathedral was crowded with naval officers and enlisted personnel in white dress uniforms. Many blinked back tears. (608K QuickTime movie)

A dedicated soldier

"I know there is nothing we can say or do to ease the loss," Clinton told Boorda's widow and four children. "Mike Boorda's seat is empty. And how we will miss his warm smile and easy manner. What a legacy he has left behind."

Dalton

A tearful Navy Secretary John Dalton called Boorda "a great ship handler" who was respected and admired. Both Dalton (160K AIFF or WAV sound) and Gen. John Shalikashvili, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described Boorda as a "sailor's sailor."

"Like any great leader, Mike's heart was with his people," said Defense Secretary William Perry, recalling Boorda's rise through the ranks to become the first enlisted man to become the Navy's top officer. (128K AIFF or WAV sound)

Perry

Shalikashvili said Boorda dedicated himself to ensuring that the "selfless service" of the Navy's 400,000 sailors did not go unrecognized. "We are all the richer because we had Mike in our midst."

Symbolic of the mutual respect between Boorda and those he supervised were the remarks of Master Chief Petty Officer John P. Hagan. He offered an impromptu eulogy before leading the gathering in a scripture reading: "He was, he is, he always will be, my hero."

Earlier, Clinton went to the Pentagon to meet with the staff of the Naval Command Center and the admiral's personal staff. White House press secretary Mike McCurry called it a morale-boosting visit.

Other tributes

flags in Norfolk

The Senate Tuesday passed by voice vote a resolution honoring Boorda's four decades of service. In London, more than 300 sailors and civilians attended a service in his memory held by the U.S. Navy in Europe, which the admiral once commanded along with NATO forces in southern Europe.

Another memorial service was held at the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Roosevelt. Norfolk is the home port of the U.S. Navy's Atlantic fleet. Boorda was buried Sunday at Arlington National Cemetery.(672K QuickTime movie)

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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