MENASHA, Wis. (WFRV) – The City of Menasha swore in a new Postmaster on Friday and made history at the same time.

John Mendoza is the first Hispanic to hold the position. The army veteran joined the postal service in 1998 and rose through the ranks to supervisor, but took a break to return to the military after the terrorist attack of September 11.

Following several tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, Mendoza returned to the post office and began rebuilding his career.

“When I had the break in service, I came back and had to start all over again,” said Mendoza. “So even though I kept my years of service, I had to start all over again from the very bottom as a non-career letter carrier.”

Eventually, he’d work his way all the way up to be the 27th Postmaster in Menasha history.