THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 29, 1996 TAG: 9605290398
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DALE EISMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: 103 lines
A newspaper that published a disgruntled Navy commander's scathing, unsigned attack on Adm. Jeremy ``Mike'' Boorda three days before Boorda fatally shot himself has apologized and announced it no longer will print letters to the editor that include ``personal attacks.''
But Navy Times, an independent weekly that is widely circulated in the Navy, said it will continue to publish unsigned letters. It insists that its editors know the identity of letter writers, the paper said, but it sometimes withholds their names to protect the service's internal critics from reprisals.
``In the military, no matter what anybody says, speaking out - even speaking the plain, honest truth or a simple opinion - can sometimes have serious repercussions for the speaker,'' the paper says in an editorial appearing in this week's editions.
The paper invited readers tocomment on its policy, and in an article appearing this week quoted James S. Doyle, its vice president and executive editor, as saying ``we would consider it'' if readers want the policy changed.
The paper's editorial this week said the letter the paper published attacking Boorda, the chief of naval operations, was a ``cheap shot''; it confirmed that the author was Cmdr. John E. Carey, a former destroyer skipper based in San Diego.
Carey's letter charged that ``behind his back, admirals often refer to the CNO as `Little Mikey Boorda,' '' and asserted that without ``the admiration or at least respect of his corporate board, the other admirals, he cannot command.'' It also called on Boorda to resign.
Some of Boorda's associates have said the Navy boss was upset by the letter, suggesting it may have been a factor in his decision to end his life. The final straw for Boorda however, apparently was an inquiry by Newsweek magazine concerning his past wearing of a ``combat V,'' a military decoration to which he may not have been entitled.
Boorda shot himself in the chest shortly before a pair of Newsweek reporters were to interview him concerning the ``combat V'' issue. He left suicide notes which have not been released but reportedly refer to his former wearing of the ``V'' as ``an honest mistake,'' but one he worried would further embarrass the Navy.
On Monday Doyle said the possibility that the Carey letter figured in Boorda's suicide ``is heartbreaking to us. . . . He was somebody that was respected by all of us.''
The paper has received a barrage of letters criticizing the Carey letter's publication, Doyle said. He was unaware of any canceled subscriptions but would expect that the paper may take some hits in that department, he added.
In a follow-up letter appearing in this week's Navy Times, Carey apologized to the Boorda family, expressed regret for attacking the admiral ``at a time when (he) must have had many troubles on his mind.'' But he defended his right, and that of other critics, to point out what they see as the shortcomings of the service and its leaders.
Carey was relieved of command of the destroyer Curtis Wilbur in 1995, just six weeks after becoming its skipper. Navy officials have said he was verbally abusive to his crew. Carey couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday but has said he plans to leave the Navy shortly. MEMO: `Name Withheld' apologizes
A ``Name Withheld'' letter to Navy Times strongly advocating the
resignation of the CNO, Adm. Mike Boorda, appeared the week the admiral
killed himself. I wrote that letter.
Adm. Boorda is the last person in the Navy any of us ever thought
might kill himself. People from all walks of lie were shocked. He
strongly and frequently advocated suicide prevention and the loss of
each sailor hurt him. His ebullient exterior must have hidden a
different thought process.
I am sorry I wrote to Navy Times at a time when Adm. Boorda must have
had many troubles on his mind. We had no idea Newsweek was pursuing a
story. But we all knew former Navy Secretary James Webb had offered some
criticism of the Navy, and althrough all of us might not have agreed
with him, we should all support his right to be outspoken - his freedom
of speech.
We will never know for sure all the burdens the CNO must have felt.
The persona he showed us apparently differed markedly from his interior
self. Our Navy is struggling to understand that, yet we tolerate a
similar disparity within our service. We stand by and accede when told
that our ``clean'' promotion process must pass the test of a Tailhook
``black list,'' that derails the careers of those who attended. Trouble
by innuendo rather than fact. We cave in rapidly when the ugly
accusation of sexual harassment is made whether substantiated or not. We
can't get beyond Tailhook until we face the truth that we have managed a
debacle poorly and we continue to do so.
We must get our own self in order and restore the integrity that was
our hallmark. It is time to stand up for what we believe in. Let us
enliven and not stifle the debate. The Navy and the nation are
militarily strong. Saluting policies because they are politically
correct forces people into a lie. Principles should guide us, not
political correctness.
We all mourn the loss of Adm. Boorda. We all cried at the sounding of
tap.
Let's tell the helmsman to get us back on course now.
I am sorry for Adm. Boorda's family and for the sailors he loved.
John E. Carey
Cmdr. USN
San Diego, Calif. ILLUSTRATION: The Navy Times says it will no longer print letters
with ``personal attacks.''
KEYWORDS: BOORDA LETTER NAVY TIMES JOHN CAREY by CNB