From Officer to Civilian

On May 31, 2013, Lt. Col. Carlos Ayala, MD ’99, retired from the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy after 29 years of service — 20 of which were active duty — in a ceremony at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. He received a letter of appreciation from President Barack Obama for his commitment and service to the country. Dr. Ayala’s military career included deployments in Afghanistan, Cuba, Germany and Puerto Rico. He received 20 awards and decorations, including Meritorious Service, Joint Service Commendation Medals, National Defense Service Medal with one Bronze Star and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two Bronze Stars.

Dr. Ayala opened Ayala ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery, and he joined fellow UCLA medical alums Vincent Honrubia, MD ’90, and Dynio Honrubia, MD ’96, at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance in McAllen, Texas, the largest physician-owned facility in the nation. Dr. Vincent Honrubia was one of the initial founders of Doctors Hospital.