King Highlights Maine Resident, Retired U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer in Memorial Day Episode of ‘Answering the Call’

WASHINGTON, D.C. -U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs (SVAC) and Armed Services Committees (SASC), released his latest episode of "Answering the Call: Maine's Veteran Voices." In the series, produced in partnership with the Library of Congress' Veterans History Project, Senator King spoke with retired U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Leo J. Deon, Jr. of Industry, Maine.

Deon served at various military posts in Massachusetts, Florida, Ohio, Guam, and New Jersey and worked at key sites like the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks and the U.S. Capitol during the anthrax scare. In the interview, King asked about Deon's commitment to service and how he continues to provide for veterans in the Maine community long after his retirement from active duty.

"Leo J. Deon Jr. is one of the millions of Americans who selflessly served our country, putting himself in harm's way to protect Americans-and American interests-at home and abroad," said Senator King. "However, his commitment to service and community extends far beyond the Coast Guard and his missions. Since moving to Maine, he has worked diligently to help Maine's veterans transition to civilian life. He began supporting veterans through Veteran's Inc., and eventually the Maine Department of Labor where he worked as a local veteran's employment representative. Even after retirement, Leo is involved in the Maine Military Community Network and serves on the board of Vet2Vet Maine. Leo represents the best Maine has to offer, and it's a privilege to help preserve his story in the Library of Congress."

Deon was born and raised in Elbridge, a small town in western New York. Deon's interest in military service began at age 14 after he and a friend saw a Coast Guard commercial on late-night television. After graduating high school, the two joined the Coast Guard Buddy Program and were sent to basic training in Alameda, California.

Following training, Deon served aboard the West Wind on the Great Lakes before attending navigation school in Florida. After graduating as a quartermaster, he was stationed aboard The Bibb in New Bedford, Massachusetts for three years. While waiting for his next deployment, he visited Maine and met his future wife at the Farmington Fair on September 21^st, 1985. They married in December and moved to Guam, where Deon coordinated maritime search and rescue missions across the western Pacific between Guam and Hawaii.

After being promoted to Chief Warrant Officer, Deon joined the National Strike Force at Fort Dix, New Jersey where he responded to the 9/11 terrorist attack. He spent six weeks at the World Trade Center overseeing the safety of emergency responders. He also assisted with the anthrax response in Washington, D.C and assisted in the response in the months after 9/11. After retiring from the Coast Guard, Deon moved to Maine where he worked for 12 years at UMaine Farmington. Missing the comradery of the military, he decided to support veterans through Veteran's Inc., and then transitioned to the Department of Labor, where he worked as a local veteran's employment representative. Even after his retirement, Deon remains involved in the Maine Military Community Network and serves on the board of Vet2Vet Maine.

The Veterans History Project is an effort by the Library of Congress to collect, preserve and distribute the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. The interviews and primary documents from the project are then used by researchers, historians, students, and filmmakers across the country. Senator King joins many other members of Congress who've participated in the project, and was honored by the then-Librarian of Congress on Veterans Day 2022 when she participated in a one-on-one interview with him to talk through his Maine conversations.

Representing one of the states with the highest rates of military families and veterans per capita, Senator King is a staunch advocate for America's servicemembers and veterans. A member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee (SVAC), he works to ensure American veterans receive their earned benefits and that the VA is properly implementing various programs such as the PACT Act, the State Veterans Homes Domiciliary Care Flexibility Act, and the John Scott Hannon Act. Recently, Senator King introduced bipartisan legislation to help reduce suicides among veterans by providing free secure firearm storage to veterans. In addition, he helped pass the Veterans COLA Act, which increased benefits for 30,000 Maine veterans and their families. Senator King has also introduced bipartisan legislation to improve care coordination for veterans who rely on both VA health care and Medicare.

Last week, Senator King cosponsored the bipartisan Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2026 which would increase certain veteran's benefits - including disability compensation, clothing allowances, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children - to reflect rising everyday costs. King also has introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen the VA workforce and improve outcomes for Veterans in the Optimizing the VA Workforce for Veterans Act. King has alsocosponsored the bipartisan Major Richard Star Act that would provide more combat-injured veterans with their full earned benefits. He also joined Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, in introducing bipartisan legislation to permanently authorize a program that would expand access to veteran disability claims exams.

You can watch previous episodes of "Answering the Call: Maine's Veteran Voices" here.

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