Veteran gets a well-deserved Christmas present

A 25-year-career veteran's retirement was set, that's until the 2013 Halloween flood ravaged his home, destroying everything he owned. Just in time for Christmas, a local body shop gave him a newly fixed up car.

Jose (Joe) Mancias lost it all during the 2013 Halloween flood.

“I had to rebuild at a different location and put myself in debt in order to just provide for my family,” Mancias, said.

The veteran was just a few months into his retirement, when the flood came. He said he diligently prepared for this lifetime achievement that was swept away in the blink of an eye.

“To have the Halloween flood take everything away in an instant is pretty traumatic,” he said.

With just a week to go until Christmas, Caliber Collision and Travelers Insurance saw fit to help a man who has helped so many others.

“Travelers Insurance, who is a partner of ours, came up and said they'd like to donate a vehicle to a veteran,” Joshua Carpenter, manager of Caliber Collision, said.

Caliber Collision heard about Aancias only a month ago. They refurbished a 2008 Honda Civic and gave it to him with a smile. Carpenter says Mancias was adamant about keeping himself under the radar, and being as selfless as possible over the last two years.

“I don't really ask anybody to do anything for me,” Mancias said.

“He didn't want the vehicle. They are very humble people, they are servants. Being a public servant they want to do the right thing so they don't always come forward and ask for help,” Carpenter said.

Mancias continues to work on getting his life back on track and taking care of his three children. Caliber Collision is hoping this car can make life a little easier for the veteran.

“I really needed this car,” Mancias said.

The message the collision shop has for Mancias is clear:

“Reading up on Bosnia, what took place in Bosnia and Iraq, the things you went through there to help people is way beyond what we could do in fixing a vehicle,” Carpenter said.

Mancias was nominated for the car by many in his community who know him.