He left Mongolia to pursue higher education. He returned as a US soldier.
By Brooke Griswald
Jul 10, 2026, 11:45 AM
Fourteen years after leaving Mongolia on his own to pursue an education in the United States, Sgt. Munk Munkhzaya returned home in a U.S. Army uniform to support Exercise Khaan Quest 2026 as a translator and cultural liaison.
Munkhzaya, a finance technician assigned to the 125th Finance Battalion, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, returned to Mongolia for the multinational exercise hosted by the Mongolian Armed Forces and co-sponsored by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
The exercise brings together military personnel from 18 nations to improve United Nations peacekeeping training.
“Khaan Quest gives service members from multiple nations the opportunity to meet each other, share cultures and build relationships,” Munkhzaya said in a release.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/07/10/he-left-mongolia-to-pursue-higher-education-he-returned-as-a-us-soldier/
