There has been some delight in this winter season, though. While on a Jan. 11 patrol of Iraqi border control points in the Meshla Mountains, Team 3 Soldiers were treated to a few inches of snow.

The team followed a Halabja DBE vehicle up slushy mountain roads to more than 2,500 feet in elevation. The last border control point they traveled to was less than one mile from the Iraq and Iran border.

Next month, these Kurdish experiences will be a thing of the past for Team 3 Soldiers when they redeploy back to Hawaii. However, they’ll still be able to reflect on these memories.

“It’s been a very good experience interacting with the Kurdish soldiers and seeing how they live. Maybe, we can appreciate more of what we have than what the people have out here,” Heanu said. By Sgt. Sean Kimmons, 25th Ist Infantry Division.