[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 69 (Thursday, May 16, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5148-S5149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE DEATH OF ADMIRAL BOORDA

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I take just a few minutes now to advise the 
Senate that I have just learned of the tragic death of Adm. Mike 
Boorda, the Chief of Naval Operations.
  Since many of us were close personal friends with Admiral Boorda, and 
have dealt with him on a very close basis, I will take a moment to 
offer our prayers and very best thoughts to his family.
  Admiral Boorda has been a model for our country. He rose through the 
enlisted ranks to become the leader of our Navy through hard work and 
perseverance. He was what is known in the Navy as a Mustang. He went in 
just as an enlisted sailor. He became the Chief of Naval Operations. 
Along the way, he was a surface warfare officer, and he commanded the 
U.S.S. Farragut, Destroyer Squadron 22, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 8, and 
Battle Force Sixth Fleet.
  Most of us first saw the bright, intelligent and personable style of 
Admiral Boorda when he took over as Chief of Naval Personnel in August 
1988. In 1991 he received his fourth star and became the commander in 
chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe. As CINCSOUTH, Admiral Boorda was in 
command of all NATO forces engaged in operations enforcing U.N. 
sanctions against the warring factions in the former Republic of 
Yugoslavia. On April 23, 1994, Admiral Boorda became the 25th Chief of 
Naval Operations.
  Over the years, as a member of the Armed Services Committee, I have 
known many naval officers, and I have known, since being a Member of 
Congress, many Chiefs of Naval Operations. I have never known one 
better than Mike Boorda. The men and women of the Navy loved him.
  I know my colleagues join me in remembering Admiral Boorda and 
expressing our deepest sympathies to his family. I yield the floor, Mr. 
President.
  Mr. EXON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that before the whip 
leaves that I may just say a word or two and ask a question of him.
  We have had a lot of shocking developments around this place, but 
none has shocked me more than the statement he just made.
  Admiral Boorda was a truly outstanding man, a great friend of mine. 
In fact, the last time that I saw him was just a few weeks ago. And he 
stopped in my office, without any notice whatsoever, and he said that 
``I have nothing on my mind at all except to thank you for all the help 
that you have been over the years to the U.S. Navy.'' That is the kind 
of person he was.

  Do you have any details at all on this? This had to be a very sudden 
affair. Do you know what caused his death? Could you explain a little 
bit?
  Mr. LOTT. We do not know all the details, only what is being reported 
on CNN and through the Naval Congressional Liaison Office. I understand 
it was an accident of some sort of gunshot wound, that he perhaps went 
home at lunch, and this bullet wound was inflicted during that lunch 
period. And he had been discovered in the last couple of hours. I do 
not know any details other than that.
  Mr. EXON. I thank my friend.
  Mr. STEVENS. Will the Senator yield to me?
  Mr. EXON. I will be glad to yield to the Senator from Alaska on the 
same basis.
  Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I have come to the floor in a state of 
shock. Adm. Mike Boorda, a personal friend, traveled with me to my home 
State this year. I have spent many times with him in my office and in 
his office.
  We will say a lot about him later, but Mike Boorda was the first 
Chief of Naval Operations to have been a walk-in enlistee. He was an 
enlisted man who worked his way through the Navy to the highest 
position in the Navy, as the CNO and Chief of Staff.

[[Page S5149]]

  I really say to the Senate that this is a great loss. He suffered the 
loss of his father this year, very dramatic for Mike Boorda. And we 
talked a lot about that. But I hope that this is something that we can 
find a way to deal with very quickly because he is going to be sorely 
missed in this mix of our national defenses.
  I think that from what I have heard, what the assistant majority 
leader just said, that we are in a different circumstance now. This is 
hard for us to take for certain what we have heard, which I hope is not 
true. It is a very difficult situation.
  Mike Boorda I think was one of the bright stars of our military 
system today as it stands and is responsible for a lot of the 
initiatives that would have brought the Navy back to its prominence of 
days gone by. So I am really sad to be here.
  I am pleased you have made the announcement, Senator Lott. But that 
it is a most disturbing development is all I can tell the Senate, very 
disturbing.
  Mr. BOND addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Missouri.
  Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I also had the privilege, just several 
months ago, to be traveling with Admiral Boorda, and a couple weeks ago 
visited with him in my office again.
  He was truly an outstanding person, had great ability and great 
dedication to this country, and was more than willing to make any kind 
of contributions he could. All we can say is that our thoughts and our 
prayers are with his family and loved ones. And it is with deep, deep 
sorrow and shock that we receive this news.
  Mr. EXON. Mr. President, suffice it to say I still have not recovered 
from the shock. I find myself in one of those positions that maybe we 
have all found ourselves in sometimes, having some kind of a bad dream 
but you know it will all turn out right and you will wake up. I am 
asking myself, am I having a dream? Obviously, I am not. This is a 
terrible, terrible shock. I simply want to join the others in wishing 
the best to the family. Our prayers are with all of them during these 
very, very difficult times.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I add my words of condolences. My memory 
of Admiral Boorda is coming to a meeting with women Senators with a 
number of other leaders from the military and being so concerned about 
making sure that this military moves forward in a way that is fair to 
women as well as to men. I will always remember that meeting.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, as a member of the Armed Services 
Committee, I was here when Admiral Boorda was first announced as the 
Chief of Naval Operations, the first man to come up through the ranks 
to become the Chief. I worked with him then on a variety of issues, but 
especially on his mind was the aftermath of Tailhook. As the only woman 
on the Armed Services Committee, we had a chance to sit down and talk 
about what had happened and what could be done to get the Navy going in 
the right direction.
  The Navy is very special to me because it is the service that my 
husband chose during the Korean war. I love the Navy, and Mike Boorda 
loved the Navy.
  I want to say that I thought he did as much as any human being could 
do to be in charge of a service during the downsizing time, which 
everyone knew had to be done. He did it in a way that would plan for 
the future, to make sure that the strategic part of what the Navy does 
for our national defense and our security were strong. Yet, he had the 
compassionate side that worried very much about sexual harassment. He 
wanted to make sure that he instilled in the men and women that he 
served as their leader, that, in fact, the value system that was 
instilled in the men and women of the Navy was the most important part 
of their service. He did everything a human being could do to instill 
that value system in them. Every time a problem arose, I would talk to 
Mike Boorda and he would be showing concern and saying, ``What more can 
we do?''
  I think that he was a fine leader. I am stunned, as every one of us 
is, that we have lost this fine leader. I hope that his memory will be 
served as the person who was a man of his word, who served his country 
well, and who had the respect of everyone that met or touched his life. 
I yield the floor.

                          ____________________