Nikolay Akimovich Turchak was born on December 30 1916 in the town of Verniy, Kazakhstan, now the city of Almaty to Tatiana Ivanovna and Akim Zakharovich Turchak immigrants from Ukraine. Akim Zakharovich was among the first who brought cinematography to then a far post of the Russian Empire. He was operating a movie projector at the city's first cinema theater since 1910.
Family didn't stay together long. Nikolay with his mother and two siblings returned to Ukraine.
At the age of 16 after graduating from a middle school he became a teacher himself, teaching at the elementary school in the town of Cherna, Khmelnytsky region of Ukraine.
In 1939 he graduated from the Odessa State University and continued his teaching career in the town of Novopavlivka, Odessa region. There he met another young teacher, Tetiana Ivanovna Martaloga, who became his wife and mother to their three children. Soon after the graduation, in October 1939 from the position of school principal he was drafted to the Red Army.
The World War II came to him on the very first day of German invasion into the Soviet Union where his 259 Air Base regiment was stationed in Tarutino near Romanian border as a part of the Soviet Air Force 4th Army – a part of a Southwestern Front (Group of Armies).
In 1942 after Germans have advanced to the Northern Caucasus, the regiment was reassigned to Zakavkazsky (Transcaucasian) Front where in 1942 – 1943 it was defending Caucasus. After the battle for Stalingrad the battalion participated in liberating Taman peninsula, Crimea and Sevastopol. As a part of 2nd Belarusian Front participated in operation “Bagration” liberating Byelorussia and Poland.
The Second World War ended for him in northern German town of Anklam. The division remained stationed in Germany for some time after the Victory. The whole time family was surviving in Tatiana Ivanivna home village of Isaevo in Odessa region of Ukraine. Luckily for them it was under Romanian occupation which was much less oppressive than German. When returned home Nikolai Akimovich was assigned to and successfully graduated from Moscow Military Political Academy. After graduation served in Carpathian Region in Ukraine and then on the Far East island of Sakhalin. After Sakhalin he returned to Ukraine and retired from the Army in the rank of Air force colonel in 1960. He continued to work as lecturer of the “Znanie (Knowledge)” organization in the city of Lutsk.
There were some concerns about Tetiana Ivanivna’s health and when doctor’s recommended drier and warmer climate might be beneficial fort her, the family moved from Lutsk to the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine where daughter Liudmila was living with her family. Health issues, however, remained and not long after the move Tatiana Ivanivna suffered a stroke and remained partially paralyzed until her death. All this time Nikolai Akimovich was at her side, taking care about all her needs and comforting her.