It is with great pleasure that the Dubois County Museum welcomes Captain Duncan McKay,
commanding officer of Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) to the museum for a
Veterans Day program on Saturday, November 12, 2022. The museum will open at 10:00 a.m. Captain
McKay will speak at 10:30 a.m. about NSWC Crane, his career, and the history of Veterans Day.
Captain Duncan McKay assumed command of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC
Crane) in July of 2020. He is a native of Tampa, Florida. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in
Physics from Florida State University in 1996, and was commissioned an Ensign in September 1992 after
completion of Officer Candidate School. He was assigned to the fast attack submarine USS ALEXANDRIA
(SSN 757) stationed in Groton, Connecticut in February 1998. His tour included deployments to the
North Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Persian Gulf. In 2016, he was assigned as the military
deputy for the USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76) Selected Restricted Availability in Yokosuka, Japan.
The museum is also adding to their military exhibit and will feature new items for the exhibit on soldiers’
uniforms and equipment from World War II and Vietnam War. Also, recently donated to the museum
and going on display is the United States Military Academy cadet full dress uniform (three uniforms
actually) belonging to Jeff Balka, a 2005 graduate from Northeast Dubois High School. Balka received
nominations from Indiana Senator Richard Lugar and State Representative Baron Hill and was appointed
to the United States Military Academy at West Point in the Class of 2009. Upon graduation, he was
commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. His duty assignments include
Fort Drum, NY; Fort Leonard Wood, MO; and Camp Casey, Republic of Korea. Balka also completed
combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
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