- NEW: Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is released by the Taliban
- Bowe Bergdahl grew up in Idaho, was home schooled
- He didn't like cars so he rode his bike a lot, even in poor weather
- Former boat captain in Alaska remembers him as good worker under tough conditions
(CNN) -- People who know Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl have described him as a well-rounded, well-grounded and hard-working young man.
Those attributes served him well during five years of captivity that ended with his negotiated release, announced Saturday by the White House.
In a statement, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said he had informed Congress of the decision to transfer five detainees from Guantánamo Bay to Qatar as part of the handover.
Bergdahl, 28, was captured by militants in Afghanistan in June 2009.
Over the course of the years since, Berghdahl was seen in so called proof-of-life videos.
In some, Bergdahl seemed to be in diminished health -- a picture that was hard to envision for family and friends. For them, strong has been a word often associated with Bergdahl.
After he was taken, CNN spoke to friends of his, including a fishing boat captain who hired Bergdahl two years earlier. Bergdahl spent 10 weeks on the vessel near Bristol Bay, Alaska, pulling in sockeye salmon for 18 to 20 hours a day.
Dan Collins said it was hard, grueling work.
"But he was up to it," Collins said. "I am at times not the easiest guy to get along with, being a fishing boat's captain. But I imagine I am easy compared to what he is dealing with every day now."
In Hailey, Idaho, many residents kept yellow ribbons tied around trees. It was there six years ago that Sue Martin, owner of Zaney's Coffee Shop spoke glowingly of her former barista.
"Bowe is not somebody in the corner," she said. "You engage, and he engages very well."
"He captures you," Martin said.
Bergdahl was a seeker, a hard worker, a man raised and home-schooled in a small town, an avid outdoorsman who also did ballet.
He could talk to anyone.
He toured Europe before joining the Army.
He also didn't care for cars, choosing to ride a bicycle to and from the odd jobs he worked to pay for his travels, friends said.
And he was polite, very polite.
One rainy evening the sheriff in his Idaho community stopped to offer him a ride. Bergdahl, who was drenched and walking his bike, said he wouldn't want to get the car wet, so no thanks. And he kept walking.
"Kind of tells you a little bit about the person," recalled Walt Femling, who knew Bergdahl through renting him an apartment the sheriff owned.
"I don't usually rent to 20-year-olds," Femling said. He trusted Bergdahl.
"There's not many young people who have the kind manners he has," said neighbor Minna Casser. "He's a gentleman and a sportsman."
The Bergdahl family hasn't spoken much publicly about their son. His father, Robert Bergdahl, posted a YouTube video in May 2011 and a year later he spoke at a Memorial Day event in Washington that was attended by more than 100,000 people.
"Bowe, your family has not forgotten you, your hometown has not forgotten you. Your state of Idaho has not forgotten you, and thanks to all of you here today, Washington D.C. has not forgotten you," Robert Bergdahl told a cheering crowd.
"We love you, we are proud of you. Stay strong, never give up. We pray for the day that we welcome you home," he said.
CNN's Ed Lavandera, Paul Vercammen, Ashley Fantz and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.
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