False Experience Claims Have Ended Careers and Worse

Khaotic

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Tue Mar-25-08 02:15 PM
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False Experience Claims Have Ended Careers and Worse

In 1996 Admiral Mike Boorda, one of the best Sailors to serve in the U.S. Navy, was caught up in a controversy about his ribbons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_M._Boorda

He was reported to have been despondent over a news media investigation, led by David H. Hackworth, into Valor device enhancements he wore on his Navy Achievement Medal and a Navy Commendation Medal (small brass Vs, signifying valor in combat), which the media report claimed he was not entitled to wear.

Boorda shot himself on May 16, 1996, and died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.

I knew Adm. Mike Boorda. I interviewed him on a couple of occasions. I was a Petty Officer 3rd Class (E4) serving in the Navy and stationed at Naval Station Anacostia at the Naval Media Center working for Navy/Marine Corps News ('93-'95).

I interviewed Adm. Boorda months earlier about the Navy's new evaluation system which was supposed to deflate evals. Navy evals had become very inflated and most Sailors were ranked as 4.0 unless their supervisors wanted to put a black mark on their careers. After I interviewed Adm. Boorda about the changes, he personally took the time to ask my opinion about the changes and what I thought the deckplate Sailors in the fleet would think about them. I know he had spoken with hundreds of Sailors about the changes, but he wanted to know my opinion as well. He also commented on my foot, because it was broken at the time. No surprise, he noticed pretty much everything and cared about his Sailors.

I was stationed in Guam when he killed himself. While I was aware of the news about his ribbons, I was shocked and torn apart that he would take his own life out of shame for the mistake. He is still missed.

In the coming months after Adm. Boorda's death, former CNO Adm. Elmo Zumwalt, who was Boorda's commander in Vietnam, later indicated that Boorda was authorized to wear them. In 1998, one of Adm. Boorda's sons requested a review of the Admiral's service record. The Board for Correction of Naval Records, the ultimate arbiter of whether Boorda was entitled to wear the Combat V on both Medals, determined that he was not.

Adm. Zumwalt defended Adm. Boorda fervantly. He said that even though Adm. Boorda had not earned the awards, he could see how the mistake was made given Adm Boorda's experience during Vietnam.

While Adm. Zumwalt was distraught and defending Adm Zumwalt, other Vietnam vets were not so forgiving.

My jaw hit the floor when I heared one vet say that Adm. Boorda did the right thing. That vet's only regret in regard to Adm. Boorda was that Boorda got off easy and didn't have to face what he had coming to him for claiming combat awards not earned.

The reason I'm posting this is to underscore how hardcore veterans are about serving in combat zones and how it is nothing to make light of.

I heavily disagree with the veteran who thought Adm. Boorda did the right thing. I think his remark is disgusting and that a tiny medal device on a ribbon is no reason for someone to end his life. I wish someone could have gotten to Adm. Boorda and stopped his actions. He was a fantastic Sailor and CNO.

Official claims of experience are taken pretty serious inside the military, especially when they're related to combat experience.

For those who believe such claims are trival and should be shrugged off, I'll tell you straight up that many take them very serious.

Making up stories about sniper fire and running for cover might be funny if you're watching "Hot Shots Part Deux," but not in real life.

We're not talking about something someone else said, we're talking about a direct and repeated claim about experience a candidate wanted to define her.

A defining moment she includes in her 35-year record of "experience" of change.

Too bad that moment is a complete lie.

EXPOSED: http://current.com/items/88876413_cbs_exposes_hillary_clinton_bosnia_trip