The last decade of Ryan Medelezs life has led him from the wrestling mats of Hermiston to the deserts of Qatar and back to Hermiston again.

After four years of active duty in the Air Force, Medelez has returned to Hermiston to work at a trucking business and fulfill a promise he made years ago.

I gave my uncle my word to come back, so I came back, he said.

After four years of being an officer, Medelez recently received the distinction of promotion to captain in the Air Force.

His six-year stint with the military came to an end in late October, and Medelez returned to eastern Oregon from his base in Abilene, Texas.

His journey through Oregon scholastics and the military ladder was only possible because of a foundation he built while in Hermiston, Medelez said.

Ryan and his twin brother, Bryan, became the backbone of a wrestling force for the Bulldogs, with Ryan wrestling at 130 pounds and his brother at 125.

I kept them five pounds apart so they wouldnt kill each other, Benny Medelez, Ryan and Bryans father, said.

They were part of the 2001 Bulldog team that won the Class 4A state title, and Ryan finished fifth in his weight group.

After graduating, Ryan spent four years at the University of Portland, where he studied secondary education and became active in the schools Reserve Officers Training Corp program.

His decision to join the service came as a bit of a shock to his family.

He surprised us as parents, Benny Medelez said, adding that he didnt mention the Air Force before revealing his enlistment status.

Ryan served two years of reserve duty as part of the ROTC and entered the Air Force for four years of active duty after leaving the university.

Medelez said his reasons for joining were three-fold: he felt a need to serve after 9/11, he simply wanted to travel the world and he felt his father wanted one of his sons in the service.

He spent four years as an aircraft maintenance officer, where he said he basically took care of B1 bombers.

Everything from equipping the planes to training technicians became a part of Medelezs days, and he eventually found himself in Qatar, a Middle Eastern country that hosts the U.S. bombing arsenal currently active in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Some of those days would drag on for 12 hours, Medelez said, but his history of athletic training courtesy of Hermiston Coach Curt Berger helped him get through each one.

He taught us to do the small things that nobody else does, he said.

The crews under Medelez were in charge of a fleet that dropped about 500 bombs during his 6-month station.

He then became an operations officer of a munitions squadron, where he oversaw the work of 250 people.

Medelez said he misses the structure of his six years in the military, but the transition to private business has gone well.

Hes working for his uncles business, BJK Truck Parts, keeping track of auto parts instead of bombs. He said the new line of work has been a learning process.

Its humbling, he said, especially when you have guys coming in saying I need this and this and this.

Medelez, who turned 27 last month, said throughout all his time in school and the military, his attitude remained constant.

You just have to keep on chugging along, he said.