THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 25, 1996 TAG: 9605250567
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: 30 lines
The Navy said Friday that it had no plans to make public the two suicide notes left by Adm. Jeremy ``Mike'' Boorda, the chief of naval operations, who shot himself last week after questions were raised about the legitimacy of two Vietnam War combat decorations he had worn.
Defense Department officials said that Boorda's wife and children considered the letters to be family property and had decided to keep them private, even though one was addressed not to the family but to ``the sailors.''
``The Navy is not prepared to release the notes at this time,'' said Rear Adm. Kendell Pease, the Navy's chief spokesman. ``We just don't feel it's appropriate.''
Navy officials have said that while Boorda might have been embarrassed by publicity over the medals, they still found it difficult to believe that the issue by itself would have been enough to lead him to suicide. Many had hoped that the letters would be made public to help end the speculation about the cause of Boorda's death.
Defense Department officials said one of the notes was a love letter to his wife, Bettie, and would probably never be made public.
KEYWORDS: U.S. NAVY SUICIDE CHIEF OF NAVAL
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