The history of the mailman can be traced back to ancient civilizations, such as Egypt and Persia, where dedicated messengers were employed to carry messages and documents.
In the United States, the role of the mailman began to take shape in the late 18th century with the establishment of the U.S. Postal Service. The first official mail carriers were appointed in major cities, responsible for delivering letters and parcels on foot or horseback.
With the advent of railways and the growth of the postal system, mail carriers evolved to serve rural and urban areas.
Today, mail carriers, often called postal workers, use vehicles to deliver mail and packages to homes and businesses, playing a crucial role in communication and commerce.
We had a chance to speak with one of our local Syosset letter carriers.
Meet Jagbir Mangat. He has worked for the post office in Syosset for 19 years.
“I was born in northern India, in Punjab,” Mangat said. “I live in Huntington Station.”
Mangat was not always a letter carrier. Prior to working for the post office, he worked for Bank of America as a customer service representative.
“I liked the job [at the post office] from the very beginning,” Mangat said. “I like seeing the customers; I had a background in service, so I had no problem going out and doing this important job. It’s an essential thing, mail.”
True to the postman’s motto, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds,” Mangat does what it takes to deliver the mail every day.
“I used to walk nine miles a day, but now I have a mounted route—which means I mostly drive,” Mangat said. “I walk approximately 45 minutes each day. but the rest is driving, with about 282 stops on the route.”
He said the best part of his job as a letter carrier is satisfying customers without any complaints and doing his job the right way.
“I love coming to work every day,” Mangat said. “Every day I come in and organize the route; that takes a few hours. Then I go out on my route.”
He loves the Syosset community too.
“Everyone is nice and they are hard working,” Mangat said. “They always say, ‘thank you,’ and they are grateful.”
Mangat said that his job is important and is still more secure than online methods of getting a message through to people.
“I am very proud to work for the Postal Service,” he added.
