Turkish woman becomes soldier in U.S. Army

Nilay Yurt, 34, was hesitant at first about becoming a soldier and she struggled to decide whether she could live under the strict rules and discipline it requires. But, she said, “After work, you are free. I can put on my makeup in the evenings.”

Yurt went to the U.S. with her husband who had a job there. After working in restaurants as a waitress, she went to ESL classes. She dropped out of university in Turkey but wanted to have a career and decided to test her luck as a soldier in the armed forces. She tells that when one of her friends told her she should apply to the U.S. Army, she did not know that it was possible. “I had Green Card but I wasn’t a citizen and I did not know that I had right to apply to the army,” said Yurt who added that she was offered many opportunities from the army.

“The U.S. Army pays for your education costs as long as you are a soldier, even if you study for another profession. Plus it gives you the opportunity to travel around the world. Also, it provides health insurance for you and your family, as well as many other social benefits,” said Yurt.

Yurt, who also paints and is writing book, says she misses her hometown of İzmir but is glad to be working for the U.S. Army at the moment. She is on a four-year contract with the army but has not decided whether she will renew it.


/Hurriyyet Daily News/