ABC7 Salutes: Army veteran, ex-addict helps other veterans learn from his mistakes

From his quiet office in an upstairs Church in Alexandria, Kelvin Manurs is trying to save lives. He knows a thing or two about that because in his 50 plus years he has managed to save his own.

“The bottom for me was living in an alley in Northwest D.C., I had left my home, and was using crack every day, alcohol every day.”

He told me he started using drugs when he was in the 5th grade and when he turned 18 he signed up for the Army. He said his problems followed him into the service.

My drug addiction escalated during Desert Storm when I was active duty, and my commander was wanting to send me to jail.

Instead, Manures got out of the service and went to rehab. Not once, but more than a dozen times. In the process, he got married, had a family and was trying to stay sober. Didn’t work until he was arrested and sentenced to 5 years to life for selling drugs.

“Suicide was something I was contemplating when I was looking at five to life. I didn’t want to do life in prison,” he said.

Behind bars, two things happened. One, he got sober. Two, he found a new path to live, a path that would keep him on the straight and narrow, but also help those around him struggling.

He got out of prison after 5 years and started his non-profit group called Arm in Arm. He now spends his days counseling those who are teetering on the edge. On the night ABC7 visited him at his upstairs office, his conference room had nearly a dozen Veterans all needing a friend, all needing help.

With Manurs leading the discussion, he helps others learn from his mistakes, and know they are not alone.

Arm in Arm means we are together, we are inner connected.

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