He was born in Yorktown, Virginia, October 24, 1995, and the U.S. Coast Guard was all he ever knew. He enlisted in the Coast Guard at Station Coinjock, North Carolina, on February 5, 1996, at the age of four months. He was the second of seven in a litter of Golden Retrievers.

          Turk Spar Cummins was his full name, but the crew at Coast Guard Station Elizabeth City knew him as Turk. “We didn’t know what to name him, “said Petty Officer 2nd Class Donnie Boyer Jr., the station coxswain. “It took us almost two weeks, but we finally came up with a name that fit him. Petty Officer 2nd Class Kevin DeBoth gave him the name of Turk, which came from the Turks Head knot, and Cummins is the name of the twin VT-903 diesel engines on the 41-foot boat. His middle name, Spar, is the yellow color on the 41-foot boat. He had three good elements of the Coast Guard in his name.

And at two-years-old, Turk belonged to the government. He was enlisted by the crew at Station Coinjock, North Carolina. After receiving enlistment papers from the Coast Guard recruiter in Portsmouth, Virginia.

          When the Coast Guard station moved its assets to Elizabeth City, North Carolina, Turk moved too. The dog provided a warm welcome to new crewmembers. “We forget sometimes that when a young man reports to a new duty station, he gives up everything,” said Chief Petty Officer Thomas Chenoweth, officer in charge. He comes here and he doesn’t know anybody, and the geography is new to him. But that dog was here all the time, and he was a great companion to some of these men.

          “As a mascot he was the tie between the military and the new people,” Chenoweth said. “He cured some of the homesickness that men new to the unit experienced. He provided a big lift to the morale of the men, and some of them took him home for the weekends. He provided that missing family link.”

          According to Boyer, Turk had taken to one of the 14 crewmembers at Elizabeth City, Fireman Apprentice Brad Phillips. “I think it was because he always played with him and fed him. Brad also gave him his bath and bought him toys. He’s was like the dog’s caretaker,” Boyer stated.

          Phillips made sure all the dog’s needs were met. “Turk had all of his shots, and he had been dewormed, too,” he said. “I took him to the Naval Operations Base (NOB) at Norfolk, Virginia, for his medical needs. There was a military veterinarian at NOB, and they gave Turk all his medical care and vitamins. One day he got hit by a car as he crossed the road to the boat station. He did not break any bones, but the skin was peeled from his leg. The veterinarian sewed his leg and gave him antibiotics until he healed.”

          The well-cared for Golden Retriever lived in the building with the boat crew and kept the men company at night when they were on watch. “The watch stander took care of the dog during the day, but everybody usually helped with taking care of him,” Boyer explained. “He was rated as a Seaman (E-3) in the Coast Guard. He also had his own medical record.” Boyer stated.

“Turk was a special dog,” Phillips added. “He lived, ate, slept, and worked with us. He even had his own locker in our building. I bought him a collar and had a tag made that read, “Property of Coast Guard Station Elizabeth City. We even had a special life vest made for him.” 

          “Turk loved to go out on the boat with us,” Boyer said. “He would climb up on the bow and let the wind blow through his hair. He never got in the way or caused trouble. He didn’t get seasick or make messes. Turk was a very loving dog, and he was very good with children, too. He loved it when my children threw the ball, and he could run and get it.”

          According to Phillips, Turk followed him all over, and his pal always knew when he was entering the building. “He loved to ride in my truck when I took him home on the weekends. He always slept right next to my bed, too. Turk was more than a companion. I loved him very much. He was my best friend. My fiancée loved him, too. I was hoping to take him with me when I got transferred. However, Turk died one day. He was getting old, and he just laid down and died. Turk was buried in one of the local cemeteries with a military honor guard at his funeral. The crew at Coast Guard Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, have never forgotten Turk Spar Cummins.