BIDDEFORD — Ten-year-old Robert Madore of Biddeford has a passion for the military.

It was obvious on Tuesday, as he was decked out in a miniature military uniform and riding in the Biddeford-Saco Veterans Day Parade.

But the St. James School fifth-grader won’t be able to enlist when he’s older.

Madore has some physical limitations because he has type 1 diabetes, which requires constant vigilance on his part and on the part of his parents.

Because of his disease, he doesn’t participate in many school sports.

In order to find an interesting activity for her son, in June, Pat Madore brought Robert to the Arthur B. Huot House in Saco.

The program, operated by Volunteers of America, provides veterans with stable housing and opportunities to help them move forward.

That fateful June day, Robert had fun speaking with the various men and women who had served in the military, and when Murray Decker came in the room, he gravitated to him immediately, said Pat Madore.

“He started asking me questions about the military,” said Decker, a retired U.S. Marine Corps general and former sniper. “We sort of clicked.”

Decker, who uses a wheelchair to get around, is a man of many talents. After retiring from 24 years of military service at the age of 41, he earned a master’s degree in fine arts at a university in Switzerland, and he is an accomplished painter.

After finishing school, the Maine native moved to Boston to work for the Department of Defense. He later worked for Homeland Security, before retiring in 2010.

It was earlier this year that he finally moved back to Maine and into the Huot House.

According to Robert, since they developed their friendship in June, he and Decker see each other most days.

“He helps with my homework,” said Robert, “and we play ball.”

Decker, who has completed more than half of his rabbinical studies, said he’s also teaching the boy Hebrew.

The two also just enjoy hanging out together.

“I’m glad the two connected,” said Pat Madore.

She said he’s noticed a change for the better in her son since he started spending time with Decker.

“He’s doing better with his schooling,” she said. “He’s more focus, he’s less anxious and he has more self-esteem.

“And I don’t know if it’s connected but his bedroom looks a lot neater,” she said.

Decker has high praise for the boy he’s mentoring.

“He’s a smart little kid,” said Decker. “There’s something special about him. He’s going to go places.”

The two have a special connection because “we’re both different,” said Decker. “He’s got diabetes, and I’m in a wheelchair. People look at us differently.”

“I’m like the son he never had,” said Robert about his relationship with Decker.

“I have two daughters” who live far away, said Decker. “I always wanted a son. I’ve sort of adopted him.”

In turn, said Pat Madore, Decker “has been adopted by the whole family.”

Through his relationship with Robert, she said, she and her husband Don have also become good friends with Decker.

But there is a dark cloud hanging over the friendship. Decker has been diagnosed with lung cancer, and doctors say he has only three to five years left to live. Decker said he hopes the doctors are wrong.

He said he would like more time to spend with Robert to help him become a man who’s focused, disciplined and an asset to his community.

“I’d like to see him grow up,” Decker said of Robert. “I’d like to see him go to college. I want to see him in a position to help people.”

To learn more about the programs of Volunteers of America and the ways in which its clients and residents give back to the community, visit the website, www.voame.org.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.