FORT KNOX, Ky.-  Cadet Ana Turcan from University of Colorado assigned to 2nd Regiment, Advanced Camp, is a long way from home.

Turcan, originally from the Republic of Moldova, came to America in 2019 where she was forced to stay because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While roaming around at a mall in 2021, an Army recruiter came up to her and passed her a flyer that said “Join the Army, the greatest team in the world.”

She was on the phone with her sister when she got the flyer, and she remembers her sister questioning how she was going to join the Army when she doesn’t speak English. Turcan took that as a challenge.

When she went into the recruiting office, the recruiter told her she would have to go to English school before she could go to basic training. He also suggested she take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test to see how much she improved with English.

She took the ASVAB, passed the test on her first try, and got sent straight to basic combat training (BCT) with little understanding of English.

“When I got to basic training, I realized that I did not understand what they’re saying at all,” Turcan said.

To learn English, she memorized the blue book which is a pocket guide that covers Army ethics, values, history, military standards and more. She followed people around and asked what a specific word meant. In a six-month time span, she graduated from advanced individual training (AIT) and was able to communicate in English.

Turcan remembers how hard camp was in the beginning though, trying to learn without knowing the language.

“It was scary because I couldn’t understand a lot of things, and they would yell at me, and I didn’t know how to tell them I don’t know what they’re saying,” Turcan said.

Turcan has worked hard in her time in the Army, achieving the Staff Sgt. rank at the end.

“Im pretty successful in the Army, I picked up from Private to Staff Sergeant in just four years,” Turcan said.

She is here at Cadet Summer Training through the Green to Gold program where active duty Soldiers can go to school to earn a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree and commission as an Officer after.

Turcan talks about how she does not necessarily miss her life back in Moldova, but bits and pieces of it.

“My family is out there and I miss them,” Turcan said. “But I made a lot of friends here. I enjoy my life in the Army.”