ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- When Leverell Mann accepted a job at Anniston Army Depot in 1973, he was no stranger to hard work. As a former Marine and a longtime auto mechanic, he knew what lay ahead of him as he walked into the installation's engine shop.
What he didn't expect was that his service to the depot would last only five years before an injury sidelined his federal career.
Mann joined the Marines in 1962 as an auto mechanic and vehicle inspector.
Attached to an automotive maintenance battalion, he went to Okinawa and then Vietnam in 1964.
"We were some of the first Marines to see Vietnam," he said.
His time in service ended in 1966, six months after returning from war and, for the next seven years, he worked as a mechanic for automobile dealerships throughout northeast Alabama.
From 1973 to 1978, he was employed at ANAD - first in the engine shop, then in final repair as an electrical tester and, finally, for the Directorate of Public Works repairing the depot's vehicles.
"We performed major repairs for the depot's fleet of vehicles, including transmission overhauls," said Mann.
In 1978, a large jack used to support vehicles fell on Mann, seemingly ending his career.
After 34 years on workman's compensation, Mann is back at ANAD. This time, he is sitting inside one of the depot's vehicles, rather than working on it.
As a security clerk for the Directorate of Emergency Services, it is Mann's job to see that deliveries to the installation are escorted to the designated area.
"No one is supposed to roam free on the depot, so I escort delivery trucks to their location and ensure someone is with them at all times," said Mann, adding how appreciative he is for his second chance at a depot career.
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