FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- Sgt. Lina Godoy -- then Pvt. Godoy -- wasn't ready for basic combat training. Of course, many recruits don't feel "ready" when their ship date arrives, but Godoy was another story.
"I thought I was going to do English as a Second Language training along with my basic," she said. "I thought I was going to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas to do a special ESL basic training so I could learn English first, but I found out I was going straight to Fort Jackson (S.C.)."
Godoy had been in the United States for only a short time. Originally from Bogota, Colombia, she and her family immigrated to Miami in June 2011, and at the time, her English left much to be desired -- she had even gone through the recruiting process in Spanish, using a recruiter from Puerto Rico to help her enlist the day after she received residency in May 2012.
Until then, in all of her 27 years, Godoy had never needed to use the limited English she had learned back home in school. When it came time to ship in November 2012, Godoy quickly found herself standing in front of angry drill sergeants, pushing and pushing without always understanding why.
"It was hard at first; everyone in basic hated me," she said. "I was always getting everyone smoked, because if one person does something wrong, everybody's in trouble, and I just didn't always understand the orders or what I was supposed to be doing."
While her peers snuck power naps or wrote letters home during the little free time they had, Godoy often sat on the bay floor, red-lens flashlight in hand, using a Spanish-English dictionary that her BCT first sergeant gave her to translate her Blue Book and Combat Lifesaver Manual word for word. Eventually, she said, her peers began trying to help her understand.
It wasn't just the language barrier, though; Godoy struggled to adopt a new culture in an environment as abrasive as basic training.
"The drill sergeants made me go to the first sergeant, because I was crying a lot, not eating -- they thought I had an eating disorder or depression," she recalled. "It was really just more frustration and culture shock. Everything was new, even the food. I had my first-ever peanut butter and jelly sandwich in basic training."
And so, after the final PT test and CLS exam, Godoy, who had worked so hard on her English and soldier skills, was broken-hearted to hear the drill sergeants screaming something at the platoon, using her name over and over.
"My friends looked over at me wondering why I was crying, and I told them I must have failed the final test -- why else would the drill sergeant be screaming my name at them like that? That's when they told me I hadn't failed; I had gotten 100 percent. The drill sergeants were yelling at the platoon, because I beat everyone else when I didn't even speak English."
Things got much easier for Godoy after BCT, as they do for most Soldiers. When she arrived at advanced individual training, she had a bit more time and flexibility to continue learning English on her own. It wasn't until after she arrived at her first duty station in Fort Hood, Texas, as a newly qualified petroleum supply specialist, that she really encountered other Spanish-speakers in the Army.
"There weren't any Spanish-speakers in my basic or AIT," she said, "but when I got to my first platoon at Fort Hood, there were maybe only three or four Soldiers who didn't speak Spanish."
Godoy continued to work on her English in those early months as a new Soldier, taking ESL classes on post, mainly with Army spouses and Family Members.
As her English improved and her Family continued to settle into life in the U.S., Godoy made the decision to reclassify from petroleum supply specialist to financial management technician.
"Before the Army, I worked in logistics and sales at a pe-troleum company, so I was somewhat familiar with some of the parts and stuff that I'd use as a 92F. When I picked that MOS (military occupational specialty), I really didn't look at points or career progression," she said. "But I have a bachelor's degree in business and business administration that I earned when I was in Colombia, and I decided to reclass to something related to my education."
After completing her reclassification training at Fort Jackson, Godoy arrived on Fort Drum in September 2016 as a brand-new financial management technician, and she took on responsibility as the noncommissioned officer in charge of the 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade finance shop, where she has excelled, setting the standard high for all Soldiers.
"Sgt. Godoy goes above and beyond the duties of her normal job," said Capt. David Lammers, Godoy's officer in charge. "She's a professional NCO who treats each individual with respect and gives her undivided attention to any Soldier who comes in our door, no matter what they need."
Since arriving at Fort Drum last year, Godoy won her battalion NCO of the Month Board and earned "promotable" status toward staff sergeant. She also has undergone training to become an equal opportunity leader, and she serves as the primary EOL for her company and the alternate at battalion.
When it came time for the 10th Mountain Division Sustainment Brigade to highlight an exceptional Hispanic Soldier in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Master Sgt. Donna Garcia, the brigade's equal opportunity advocate, said Godoy was an "obvious choice" due to her professionalism, proficiency and motivation.
Godoy said her Family has adjusted well to the move from Fort Hood and they enjoy the Fort Drum community.
"I love it here," she said. "We like it so much better here as Family -- our kids have a lot of friends, it's a good school system -- there's just so much for us to do together."
Her husband works as a music instructor for Fort Drum's Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, and Godoy said their children, ages 6 and 12, have thrived in the year they have been here.
"One of the things I like most here is that people are more familiar with diversity, more open to it," she said. "Of course, not everybody has the same background or the same education, but it doesn't offend me when people ask questions. There's a difference between when people are curious and want to know about something and when they're being disrespectful."
As with many Soldiers who have come to serve the United States from other home nations, Godoy has developed a sense of dual-pride and appreciation for both her home country and the country she now serves.
"I love that the Army celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month. I am proud to be here, to wear the uniform and the American flag, but I love the fact that the Army made a special occasion to be proud of the places we came from," she said.
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