World War II Honoree

William Houston Duncan

Branch of Service

U.S. Coast Guard

Hometown

Springfield, Arkansas

Honored By

Juanita Duncan

Relationship

Wife

ENLISTED IN THE U.S. COAST GUARD AFTER PEARL HARBOR. AFTER BASIC TRAINING HE SERVED AS A MILITARY POLICEMAN, TRUCK DRIVER AND THEN AN OFFICER'S CHAUFFEUR BEFORE TRANSFERRING TO SEA DUTY. AFTER SPECIALIST COURSES AT BROOKLYN TECH AND A GENERAL MOTORS GASOLINE ENGINE COURSE, HE WAS ASSIGNED AS CHIEF PETTY OFFICER, MOTOR MACHINIST, TO THE U.S. COAST GUARD CUTTER 83-407 IN 1943. STATIONED AT BOSTON AND RAN COASTAL ANTI-SUBMARINE PATROLS. IN THE SPRING OF 1944, THE 83-407 WAS 1 OF 60 CUTTERS SHIPPED TO GREAT BRITAIN ON FREIGHTERS FOR OPERATION OVERLORD. BASED AT POOLE, ENGLAND, AS PART OF THE 12TH FLEET, THE WOODEN CUTTERS, CALLED THE 'MATCHBOX FLEET' RAN ENGLISH CHANNEL PATROLS, SEARCHING FOR MINES AND RESCUING DOWNED PILOTS. PERFORMED RESCUE WORK ON OMAHA BEACH ON JUNE 6, 1944. NOVEMBER, 1944, THE CUTTER WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE BRITISH ROYAL NAVY AND THE CREW WAS SHIPPED BACK TO THE U.S. HE THEN ATTENDED A GENERAL MOTORS DIESEL ENGINE COURSE AND WAS ASSIGNED TO COAST GUARD MANNED DESTROYER ESCORT USS HURST DE-250. THE USS HURST WAS BEING TRANSFERRED FROM ATLANTIC CONVOY DUTY TO THE PACIFIC THEATER IN THE SUMMER OF 1945. THE USS HURST SEARCHED THE OUTLYING ISLANDS OF THE SAMOAN, FIJI, SOCIETY AND OTHER ISLAND CHAINS FOR MISSING U.S. PERSONNEL AND REMAINING JAPANESE SOLDIERS. IN LATE NOVEMBER 1945, THE USS HURST RETURNED TO SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA AND HE WAS DEMOBILIZED.