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In this photo taken in 1944, Rodney Duncan poses in his U.S. Army uniform before his deployment to India and Burma.

Courtesy of Rodney Duncan |

World War II veteran Rodney Duncan holds the medals, ribbons and patch he received during his service in the U.S. Army. Duncan, who lives north of Craig, received several medals for good conduct during his time in the service. Duncan doesn’t recall many the accolades he received during the war. “After I got home, I was so glad to be home, I kind of forgot,” he said.

Photo by Michelle Balleck |

Rodney Duncan, 86, pictured in the home he built north of Craig, served in Burma and India for nearly 19 months during World War II. Duncan, originally from a homestead south of Steamboat Springs, traveled around the world during his deployment with the U.S. Army 330th Engineer Regiment.

Photo by Michelle Balleck |

Rodney Duncan traces his World War II travels on a map at his home north of Craig on Thursday morning. Duncan helped build the Stilwell Road, a 478-mile-long strategic military route that connected with the Burma road and helped funnel supplies into China.

Photo by Michelle Balleck |

World War II veteran Rodney Duncan shows a picture of the bridge over the Irrawaddy River in Burma, or modern-day Myanmar. The structure was the largest pontoon bridge the Army had anywhere at the time, Duncan said, and he crossed it regularly while he worked to help build roads in Burma during the war.

Photo by Michelle Balleck |

Rodney Duncan, 86, pictured here in his home north of Craig, spent more than a year in Burma and India during World War II. He recently recalled his adventures abroad, which included hunting for water buffalo, driving treacherous mountain roads and weathering rough seas on his voyage home.

Photo by Michelle Balleck |

Local World War II veteran Rodney Duncan holds a book that chronicles the construction of the Stilwell Road in Burma, which he helped build during his time in the service. The road was named after U.S. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell, who planned the project. “They always said that Joe fought Japs with one hand and built roads with the other,” Duncan said.

Photo by Michelle Balleck |

In this photo taken around 1944, Rodney Duncan poses in a photo booth at a carnival in Steamboat Springs. Shortly after this photo was taken, Duncan entered the U.S. Army.

Courtesy of Rodney Duncan |