THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 17, 1996 TAG: 9605170477
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHARLENE CASON AND ROSEMARY GOUDREAU, STAFF WRITERS
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
The sound of the captain's whistle brought the tired but exhilarated crew of the Norfolk-based carrier Enterprise to a halt Thursday afternoon. They knew Capt. Michael D. Malone had something he wanted to say as they returned from a massive, successful, three-week exercise at sea.
``We have some bad news from Washington today,'' Malone began. ``Admiral Boorda has been shot.''
Malone said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jeremy ``Mike'' Boorda was found dead, but he did not mention the possibility of suicide. He focused instead on Boorda's life, describing how the admiral had stepped in to lead the Navy during a troubled time and had quickly established himself as a determined, beloved champion who got things done.
Across the deck of the world's fastest carrier, hundreds of sailors in blue stood silently, their heads bowed in prayer.
Only moment's earlier, they'd been buzzing about their upcoming time in port, which will last until the end of June, when the battle group begins a six-month deployment.
``It took us all by surprise,'' said Lt. Cmdr. David Graff, assistant supply officer onboard the Enterprise. ``He was a great example to everyone.''
Petty Officer 1st Class Cathy Vermillion echoed the sentiment of others when she said, ``He pulled for all sailors, did so much for everybody.''
Chief Anthony Wallace said Boorda was ``good for the enlisted, good for the officers, good for the Navy as a whole.''
Many of the sailors knew only that Boorda was ``shot dead in his home.'' Some assumed the admiral had been slain and said they hoped whoever did it would be caught.
At Norfolk Naval Base, Cmdr. Jack Bowers, a dentist stationed at the base dental clinic, looked out to sea with tears in his eyes.
``I'm sick,'' he said. ``I can't believe it. . . . He was exactly what the Navy needed.''
The homecoming crowd on Pier 11 was somewhat subdued, under a sky as wet and gray as the ships it hung over.
As they joined families and colleagues on shore, the sailors quickly began to hear the rumors of suicide. One young man said he wanted to attend Boorda's funeral, no matter how he died, because of how open the admiral had been during such difficult times.
``He understood everybody. He cared,'' said Chief Petty Officer Mike Johnson, stationed with Fighter Squadron 103 at Oceana Naval Air Station. ``I don't know of anyone else who could fill his shoes.''
Others spoke in anger and sorrow that Boorda may have done this to himself.
``For an official like that to take his own life, it's just a shock to me. It doesn't show well for the Navy,'' said Petty Officer 3rd Class Dwayne Williams, stationed onboard the aircraft carrier Roosevelt.
Seaman Apprentice Elizabeth Victorian said, ``I looked up to him because he started off in the same rank as I did. I didn't think that kind of person would kill himself.''
``I don't think people realize the kind of stress you have in the Navy, not only in the lower ranks but for people like him - even more so for him,'' said Petty Officer 1st Class Gary Mihalko, who is stationed onboard the aircraft carrier Kennedy, which is visiting Norfolk.
``I think it shows a lot about what stress can do.''
Lt. Col. John A. Panneton of Virginia Beach, retired, president of the Navy League of Tidewater, said: ``I feel it's a tragedy for the Navy. With all the problems the Navy had, I felt things were going in the right direction with his leadership.
``He was a personable man. If you ever met him without his uniform on, you'd have thought he was a regular guy, a regular sailor. He would talk to sailors in his travels and he made people feel comfortable. He was just that kind of guy. You felt that he really cared for you as an individual.'' MEMO: Staff writer Paul Clancy contributed to this story. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by ROSEMARY GOUDREAU
Sailors aboard the carrier Enterprise bow their heads Thursday after
hearing of Adm. Jeremy ``Mike'' Boorda's death.
by CNB