Jeremy M. Boorda
Jeremy Michael Boorda ( November 26, 1939 - May 16, 1996 ) was a US Navy soldier and the 25th Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). Boorda was the first CNO to rise from the ranks of the crew, his last rank was an admiral .
Life
Military career
Boorda was born on November 26, 1939 to a Jewish family in South Bend , Indiana . He signed up for the US Navy in 1956. He served as a crew rank and rose to the rank of Petty Officer First Class and served in various units.
After attending Officer Candidate School in Newport , Rhode Island , receiving his officer license and promotion to Ensign in 1962, he served on the USS Porterfield (DD-682) . In 1964 he attended the Naval Destroyer School in Newport and subsequently served on USS John R. Craig (DD-885) before serving as Commanding Officer (CO) on the USS Parrot (MSC-197 ) was moved.
He completed his first so-called “shore tour” as a weapons instructor at the Naval Destroyer School in Newport. In 1971, after attending Naval War College and earning a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Rhode Island, he took over the service as Executive Officer (XO) on the USS Brooke (DEG-1).
Boorda then briefly taught at the University of Oklahoma and worked in the US Navy's Human Resources Office in Washington, DC .
From 1975 to 1977 he commanded the destroyer USS Farragut (DDG-37) . As a result, he was posted to Washington (DC) as "Executive Assistant to the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs" (German: Executive Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of the Navy for Personnel and Reserve Affairs ), before he took command of destroyer squadron 22 in 1981.
1983 and 1984 he served as "Executive Assistant to the Chief of Naval Personnel / Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Manpower, Personnel and Training" (German about: Executive Assistant to the Chief of Naval Personnel). In December 1984 he finally became "Executive Assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations". He held this post until July 1986.
Boorda next commanded Cruiser-Destroyer Group Eight in Norfolk , Virginia . He then served as commander of a carrier battle group (Carrier Vessel Battle Group) with the USS Saratoga (CV-60) and in 1987 as commander of the battle group of the US Sixth Fleet .
In August 1988 Vice Admiral Boorda became "Chief of Naval Personnel / Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Manpower, Personnel and Training". In November 1991 he received his fourth star (promotion to admiral ) and one month later became Commander in Chief Allied Forces Southern Europe ( CINCSOUTH ) based in Naples and Commander of US Naval Forces Europe , based in London . As CINCSOUTH, Admiral Boorda was in command of all NATO forces involved in operations to enforce UN sanctions during the wars in the Balkans .
On April 23, 1994, Admiral Boorda was appointed 25th Chief of Naval Operations and thus the highest officer in the US Navy. He was the first CNO not to graduate from the US Naval Academy .
Awards
Selection of decorations, sorted based on the Order of Precedence of the Military Awards:
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Defense Distinguished Service Medal
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Navy Distinguished Service Medal (x3) -
Legion of Merit (3 x) -
Meritorious Service Medal (x2) -
Navy & Marine Corps Commendation Medal
Suicide
Boorda died on May 16, 1996 of a gunshot wound to the chest he inflicted on himself. It was reported that he was discouraged after a media campaign stating that he was wrongly wearing some awards for valor. Boorda had been awarded the Navy Achievement Medal and the Navy Commendation Medal for his service before Vietnam , awards that rank 16th and 18th in the order of the US military awards. However, Boorda wore both medals with the "Combat V" ("Valor"), an addition, which says that the respective medal was awarded for an operation in the face of an armed enemy. Various media had doubts about the right to wear the two medals with the "Combat V". The former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt , at the time of Boorda's Vietnam mission Commander in Chief of the US Navy forces in Vietnam, stated after Boorda's suicide that Boorda was not authorized in writing to wear the "Combat V" , however, numerous soldiers were verbally authorized to wear the "Combat V" during more than 100 ship and troop visits in Vietnam.
At the same time, Boorda was faced with massive rejection from the ranks of officers, especially the naval aviators, who criticized his close contacts with the Clinton administration and his personnel policy in particular .
He was buried on May 19, 1996 in Arlington National Cemetery , Virginia. His grave is at Section 64, Site 7101.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Boorda, Jeremy M. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Boorda, Jeremy Michael (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American admiral in the US Navy |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 26, 1939 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | South Bend |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 16, 1996 |