Link is looking back at the year in “Heroes’ Corner” with a countdown of the 10 most-viewed articles.
Coming in at No. 6 is “The ‘miracle’ workers,” the story of an Oregon dynamic duo — Postmaster LeEtte Duncan and Michelle Leonard, a complaints and inquiry clerk.
When an older couple sought Duncan’s help last summer in Pacific City, OR, she feared it was too late to stop the financially crippling scam they’d fallen for.
A caller impersonating a bank representative had convinced the couple they needed to send a cashier’s check for $99,000 via Priority Mail Express to a P.O. Box in Maryland in order to protect their savings.
They had already done so — a full day earlier — before they grew suspicious.
“I thought it would be a slim chance that we would succeed,” Duncan said. Still, she sprang into action and immediately called Leonard at the Portland, OR, Processing and Distribution Center.
Leonard advised Duncan to contact the Postal Inspection Service and went to work locating the shipment, which she intercepted just in time before it made its way to the East Coast.
The couple and their money were soon reunited.
“I could not help but smile for over a week, and I was so happy working as a team with LeEtte to get this couple’s life savings back to them,” Leonard said. “We can accomplish many things that may be considered a miracle, as this one felt. This type of cooperation is what all our customers deserve.”
Duncan added: “If we engage with our customers, we can encourage communication to prevent scams like this.”
If you know of heroic colleagues like Duncan and Leonard, the Postal Service wants to know about them, too.
Employees recognized through the Postmaster General Heroes’ Program must be nominated for the award. Corporate Communications reviews nominations for accuracy, then sends them to the Postal Inspection Service and the Office of Inspector General for approval.
Following approval, each nominee receives a commendation letter from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
Honorees are also featured in Link’s “Heroes’ Corner” column.
To nominate an employee, complete PS Form 400, Corporate Communications PMG Hero Nomination, and email it to PMG_HeroNominations@usps.gov.