CAPT John L.“Turk” Green	Photo By Tokunaga

Friends and Colleagues: We, in Naval Aviation, recently lost a true hero who served among us. CAPT John L.“Turk” Green recently strapped into his virtual FA-18 Hornet and climbed to high holding after a long fight against esophageal cancer.

Turk came to us from Springfield, Missouri. He loved playing the role of the down-home country boy. It was disarming and charming, and some people, who ought to have known better, sometimes took him for granted. He was tall, thin and maybe not very athletic looking. That is, until a basketball found a place in his hands. Then he would glide around the court or a driveway hoop and execute precision shots with textbook form. A talent he learned as a varsity player at the University of Missouri.

Turk started his naval career inauspiciously. He was a seaman on the Presidential yacht, USS Sequoia, serving President Nixon, where his chief claim to fame was to get between a mooring line and the gunwale just before the line went taught. He got flipped over the side, across the dock and into the Potomac River, which was captured on national TV. He returned to his position on the yacht wet and as mad as an alley cat in a thunderstorm. He loved to tell that tale, as much as a reminder to himself, as a lesson to the rest of us. Check the small things. Don’t take anything for granted.

Turk first commanded the VFA-192 Golden Dragons in Atsugi, Japan where he prided himself on the squadron aircraft’s yellow landing gear and his matching yellow socks (even in uniform). The Dragons deployed in Independence (CV-62) and were home ported in Atsugi, Japan — as part of the Forward-Deployed Naval Forces; tip of the spear, first to the fight. He loved every minute of it, and all of us.

Turk was mindful of his convictions and assisted others. He demonstrated a willingness to see things through, to give everything there was to give — he had moral fiber, and he was a leader. Those that knew him, worked with and for him, did not want to let him down.

Turk went on to Nuclear Power School, laughing that he was the only student who would not bring just one calculator to an exam — in case the first one malfunctioned, ya know. He served as XO of Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), CO of Camden (AOE-2), and stepped in to provide his command presence as CO of John F. Kennedy (CV-67). After months of repairs and a 30-day sea trial, CAPT Green addressed the crew, “You and the ship performed remarkably well. This ship is … safe and reliable. All of the [Board of Inspection and Survey] (INSURV) discrepancies have been overcome. Big John is ready to go, whenever and wherever, the President tells us to go.”

Then, Turk received permanent change of station orders to leave Kennedy and report as the ninth CO of Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). Having grown up a Sailor, rising to the rank of senior chief before accepting an officer appointment and orders to flight school, Turk readily connected with the crew. He understood their dreams, had lived a similar life, spoke to them in a language that they understood, without any pretense that he was speaking down to them, or patronizing them. His Command Master Chief (CMC) on Theodore Roosevelt, CMDCM Beth Lambert, the first female carrier CMC, remarked that she could never get Turk anywhere on the carrier on time because he would shake hands and talk with Sailors in the passageway.

As Executive Assistant to the Commander, U.S. Northern Command, Turk was diagnosed with cancer. He fought it and beamed to all within earshot that he had “kicked cancer.” But it returned again with a vengeance, springing on him from the darkness, after he had left the Navy.

So many of those he touched came to visit him, to have a reunion with him, in Washington D.C., one last time. He had entered hospice care, when fighting hard wouldn’t do it any more. We celebrated a life well lived.

Turk was a truly special person. He was a one-of-a-kind, larger than life character that Naval Aviation embraced and God allowed us to enjoy for a few years. Among many of Turk’s gifts of leadership were that he made us all believe that we were something special. He was about others … never about himself. Even during our final weekend with him — a tribute to Turk — his focus was always on something other than himself: faith, family, friends and service to our great country. Only Turk could have pulled that off. Thank you, Turk, for everything. Fair winds and following seas on this your most important journey. We’ll see you in high holding.

CDR Daniel “Dino” Martin, USN