Abandoned At Leyte
The World War II Memories of
Dr. Doy Duncan, Wildcat Pilot

Doy Duncan

Although raised on a farm in southwest Arkansas during the Great Depression, Doy Duncan, like many young boys of that time, dreamed of flying. Through hard work and perseverance, Duncan went to college, where he took primary Civilian Pilot Training. He then joined the U.S. Navy and completed secondary CPT in Conway, Arkansas, while waiting to be called to active duty. In November of 1942 he reported to the Naval Preflight School at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

After months of training, Doy Duncan was assigned to the USS Kadashan Bay, CVE-76, to fly the FM-2 Wildcat fighter plane. He saw his first combat in September 1944 as he flew support for the First Marine Division's invasion of the Palau Islands in the Pacific. He would be shot down a month later in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Abandoned at Leyte is Duncan's story of courage and survival as a World War II Wildcat pilot.