Maine news, sports, weather | Kennebec Journal, Augusta, Maine

'He's always there' Duane Leathers served in two wars and now helps his fellow veterans

BY CRAIG CROSBY Staff Writer

BY CRAIG CROSBY

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Staff Writer

James Leathers is 52 years old. He lives several states away from where he grew up, runs a successful business that has taken him around the world, and is a proud husband and father of grown children.

But ask James about his father, Duane, and he melts into an awe-struck boy, clicking off superlatives in rapid fire in hopes of describing just how great his dad is and what he has meant to James' life. Words, you soon realize, have limits.

"He is, hands-down, the strongest man I've ever met," James says. "He instilled in you to do right. Being honest and trustworthy were the most important thing. He's just an extraordinary man."

Those who know Duane Leathers tend to use words like "generous" and "strong" -- even "angelic" -- when talking about him. The words flow so freely, in fact, that it is easy to grow cynical, to think they are well-meaning friends and family prone to exaggeration.

But when you spend a few minutes with Duane, and you find out he has served in two wars, only to come home and spend years taking care of his fellow veterans, and you just might find yourself adding a few words of your own.

"He's known as Popeye," James says. "Here in Pennsylvania, people always ask, 'How's Popeye doing.'"

Duane Leathers was born in Winthrop in 1932. His family soon moved to Gardiner.

"That's been my home base ever since," Duane says.

Duane's father was killed in a work accident when he and his younger brother, Sumner "Sonny" Leathers, were little boys.

Duane graduated from Gardiner High School in 1950.

"I graduated on a Friday night, and on Saturday morning I was on my way to boot camp," he says.

Duane says he still recalls going to see recruiters with four of his friends. He tried enlisting in the other military branches, but the Navy had the only open slot.

"I said, 'Put me down,'" he recalled. "'I'm not going back home.'"

He eventually landed with an air squadron in California.

The assignment would lead Duane into the first of two wars: He spent three years in Korea, serving outside of Puson and aboard a carrier; and then, 12 years later, he began a two-year tour in Vietnam, including a stint aboard the famed USS Intrepid.

Duane spent a few months in Gardiner after returning from Korea.

Sonny Leathers, who lives less than mile from his brother and still sees him every day, recalls learning about the time Duane filled in for him on a new job for two weeks as Sonny made his way home from the Army.

Duane never told Sonny about the favor.

"If I need something and mention something, he'll get it for me," Sonny said. "We're very close."

Unable to find a comfortable fit in civilian shoes, Duane re-enlisted.

"He just thought he'd like to go back in the Navy because he liked it so well the first time," Sonny says. "He made a career out of it."

Duane Leathers wrapped up that career on June 30, 1983.

"I was going to stay a little longer, but they were going to give me a set of orders for New Orleans," he says. "The only good thing about New Orleans was going down for a good fish plate. The weather down there was worse than here."

Duane bought his father's house in Gardiner and spent the next 11 years selling parts for NAPA in Gardiner and Steego in Augusta, and being a husband to Yvonne.

"When I got out, she missed the Navy," Leathers said. "We made a lot of friends."

Duane had known Yvonne Marshall in high school, but they only started dating after he enlisted. They were married in 1952 and had two sons, Duane Jr. and James. The boys eventually gave Duane and Yvonne five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Duane got a new mission in 1994 when Yvonne died from cancer. He retired, sold his house and bought a mobile home, and wondered what to do with his life.

He got his orders about a year after Yvonne died when a friend, Arthur Roy, came by recruiting volunteers for the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

"He was instrumental in getting me doing stuff," Duane says. "It changed my life. When you get up in age, it is good to get involved and keep your mind busy."

Leathers, as he had the Navy, jumped in with both feet. By 1997, he was the hospital and volunteer service coordinator for the state VFW. He held the position until April of this year.

Resigning was not an easy decision for a man who sticks to jobs like duct tape.

"It was just time to get new blood in there," he says.

Duane is not at Togus as much as he used to be, but he still describes it as his life's work.

"This is what I'm going to do," he says. "The veterans and the people keep me coming back. I know so many people who work here. They're so great to me."

He has logged more than 6,000 volunteer hours at Togus since 1998. He was the volunteer of the year in 2009 and has earned five regional awards from VA Services.

"A lot of what he does is in the background," says Lorna Hatch, voluntary specialist for Togus Veterans Affairs hospital. "He's one of those silent angels. He's always there. He's the helping hand behind the scenes."

Hatch has learned to count on Duane Leathers. He knows what to do without being asked, she says, and he isn't afraid to do the small things, such as pushing around a cart of books or snacks.

"He gets his treatment here, so he knows it from the patients' perspective and he knows it from the volunteer perspective," Hatch says. "He knows what the patients are going through."

It takes a veteran to understand a veteran -- and it takes someone who has suffered loss to know how to handle grief.

James Leathers learned that six years ago when he got a call while visiting his dad in Maine that Brandon, James' 25-year-old son, had been killed in an accident.

"It was the worst time of my life," James says. "If it wasn't for my dad and his strength, nobody in this family would have gotten back on our feet.

"He told us to take care of each other, that life isn't fair. What my father told me to do was in the Bible. All you really have in life is faith and hope.

"He's my hero."

Craig Crosby--621-5642

ccrosby@centralmaine.com