The act was said to have been triggered by questions about Boorda's combat decorations. Vanity in someone who rose so far is plausible. After all, isn't "death before dishonor" the code of every Kiplingesque Hollywood saga wherein the shamed officer is left alone with a loaded pistol to "do the right thing?"
Real life isn't so simple. The decoration SNAFU apparently was a technical misunderstanding. Boorda had added a "V," indicating valor in combat, to a medals won during periods when the "V" wasn't authorized. It was an error, but not a big deal. He corrected it when it was called to his attention.
More likely, the roots of the tragedy are tangled in the Navy's ongoing troubles, ranging from Tailhook, and a spate of Annapolis scandals and airplane crashes, to the rape incident on Okinawa that toppled a CINCPAC and set back U.S.-Japan relations.
Boorda's job was to somehow balance Naval tradition and pride against the forces of political change. It was a pressure cooker, to be sure.
Adm. H.G. Rickover was once asked how he handled stress. "Stress?" said the crusty nuclear submariner. "I don't worry about stress. I just give it to other people."
Let's hope Boorda's successor does the same.
