An Obscure News Service No More   

The story of Navy Adm. Jeremy M. "Mike" Boor-da's questionable combat commendations consumed the attention of the nation after his suicide May 16. But before the story was public knowledge, it had a tough time catching the attention of Roger Charles.

Charles, 51, a reporter for the Washington, D.C.-based National Security News Service (NSNS) and retired Marine lieutenant colonel, broke the Boorda story when he passed along a tip he had received from one of his military contacts some 14 months earlier to Newsweek contributing editor David Hackworth. If he had left the matter to his own initial news judgment, the Boorda medal story, which quickly became the Boorda suicide story, might never have left the inside of his desk drawer.

"Compared with everything else I was working on at the time, this just wasn't a big deal," says Charles. "I had no idea it would turn into such a big story."

Indeed it did turn into a big story, taking the lead on television newscasts for days and meriting banner headlines on the front pages nationwide. But the big story began in the office of the small NSNS, a six-person operation that, before Adm. Boorda's death, was largely unknown.

Funded by a Charlottesville, Virginia-based organization that awards grants to groups interested in environmental protection and nuclear disarmament, NSNS was founded in 1990 by attorney Wayne Jaquith, former president of the Council for a Livable World Education Fund, an organization rooted in the peace movement. Jaquith says he started the news service because he was tired of what he describes as "uninformed" coverage of the government.

"I knew there were deeper stories that needed to be investigated by the press," Jaquith says. "I noticed that most beat reporters on the Hill became captive of the system. I was looking to do something to break that with the news service."

Only four full time reporters work for NSNS, passing on well-developed tips and background research dealing with military activities to mainstream news organizations. NSNS investigations have become the basis for stories that have appeared on national news programs, including "20/20," "PrimeTime Live" and "Nightline," and in such publications as Newsweek and the Washington Post.

According to published reports, Boorda left two notes blaming recent media inquiries for his decision to kill himself. Since then, NSNS staffers have answered more than 400 phone calls about the Boor-da story and have spent nearly every day meeting with reporters.

All of this over a routine FOIA request Charles filed to get a complete list of Boorda's medals and citations. Charles found that every medal matched with the citations except for "V" clips, awarded for valor under fire, worn over two of Boor-da's medals. He then called the Pentagon to request Boorda's official photo, to see if Boorda was, in fact, wearing the Vs, but the Pentagon wouldn't release the photo unless Charles picked it up personally. Since the photo wasn't a priority for him at the time, Charles never got it. "So the tip never went any further," Charles says. "It sat in the inactive file in my desk."

But in April Charles spotted a picture in Defense News of Boorda wearing the Vs and decided to ask more questions. Once he found some answers, he decided he was onto something important.

The NSNS, along with News-week, has been the target of much criticism over the episode. Many viewed the Boorda story as an example of a vicious news media going too far. Others wondered if the NSNS had an ulterior motive in exposing Boorda.

Former Navy Secretary John Lehman wrote in the Wall Street Journal that the NSNS was "part of the left-wing archipelago of tax-exempt think tanks."

A New York Post editorial pointed out that NSNS is a member of an umbrella organization called the Military Spending Working Group, whose statement of purpose claims dedication to "substantial reductions in [U.S.] military spending."

But Charles stands by the integrity of NSNS and his decision to bring the information to Newsweek. "My heart goes out to Boor-da's family and close friends," he says. "But my inquiries were ethical. It was all journalistically sound."

NSNS Bureau Chief Joe Trento agrees. "Most of the journalists that we have talked to support us for what we did," Trento says. "Many people who have blamed us for this tragedy think we had some axe to grind, or they think it is our mission as a news service to go against or debunk the military. That is not true."

Charles spent hours briefing Newsweek Washington Bureau Chief Evan Thomas and national security correspondent John Barry on the significance of wearing unearned medals, an offense he says undoubtedly deserves inquiry. As someone who once wore the V clips himself, for service in Vietnam, Charles should know. He spent more than 22 years in the service before joining NSNS in 1993.

"I wanted to become a journalist because I was tired of media organizations not covering the military...unless it deals with money," Charles says. "I wanted to do something that would have a positive effect on the media.

"As a kid, I did a lot of squirrel hunting," Charles adds. "The trick was not to look for squirrels, but to look for movement in the trees or in the bushes. That's what I do as a reporter. I watch for what's different."