Jeremy Michael Boorda

Admiral Jeremy M. Boorda
Jeremy M. Boorda – Chief of Naval Operations
Born	(1939-11-26)November 26, 1939 South Bend, Indiana, U.S.
Died	May 16, 1996(1996-05-16) (aged 56) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Buried at	Arlington National Cemetery (Section 64, Lot 7101 Grid MM-17)
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1956–1962 (enlisted man) 1962–1996 (officer)
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	USS Parrot (MSC-197) USS Farragut (DDG-37) Cruiser-Destroyer Group Eight Carrier Battle Group Commander - with USS Saratoga (CV-60) Battle Force Commander - with Sixth Fleet Chief of Naval Personnel Allied Forces Southern Europe U.S. Naval Forces, Europe Chief of Naval Operations
Battles/wars	Vietnam War Bosnian War
Awards	Defense Distinguished Service Medal (2) Navy Distinguished Service Medal (4) Army Distinguished Service Medal Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (3) Meritorious Service Medal (2) Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal

External audio

You may watch the memorial service for Admiral Boorda at Washington National Cathedral on May 21, 1996

Jeremy Michael Boorda (November 26, 1939 – May 16, 1996) was a United States Navy admiral who served as the 25th Chief of Naval Operations. Boorda is notable for being the first American sailor to have risen through the enlisted ranks to become the Chief of Naval Operations, the highest-ranking billet in the U.S. Navy.

Boorda, a Vietnam War veteran, died in May 1996, at the age of 56, when he committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest. The reason for his suicide was reportedly that he was upset about a media investigation into the legitimacy of his having worn on his uniform two service ribbons with bronze "V" (valor) devices which were generally perceived to indicate heroism in combat. Boorda had earned the two medals during the war represented by the ribbons, but there were questions about whether the two devices on the decorations were authorized. Although Boorda participated in combat situations off the coast of Vietnam and had been given permission to wear the devices, it was determined before and after he died, that he did not meet the Navy's combat requirements to wear the devices. Boorda had removed the two ribbon devices on his uniform almost a year before he died and was generally perceived as having made a good faith error in believing he was authorized to wear the devices, as opposed to an intentional effort to be deceptive.

Boorda was born in South Bend, Indiana to Jewish parents, Gertrude and Herman Boorda. His family moved to Momence, Illinois, where his father had a dress shop. His grandparents had immigrated from Ukraine.

When he was nineteen, Boorda married Bettie Moran. Their first son David was born with severe disabilities. They had two more sons, Edward and Robert, and a daughter named Anna. Boorda and his Christian wife raised their children as Protestants.

Boorda dropped out of high school to enlist in the United States Navy in 1956 at the age of 17; it provided a structure he at first disliked but came to appreciate. He finished high school while in the Navy and attained the rate of Personnelman First Class. Boorda served a variety of commands, primarily in aviation. His last two enlisted assignments were in Attack Squadron 144 and Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 11.