Five Fast Facts About Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard on NCIS

Donald “Ducky” Mallard was the NCIS official Medical Examiner for 26 years! Throughout his very long career, he helped Gibbs and the rest of the team to solve important cases and put bad guys away.

From where he went to school to a traumatic incident that shaped him, here are five fast facts you need to know about Ducky (David McCallum).

English Education
Ducky went to Eton College and then graduated from the University of Edinburgh Medical School. He also went to King’s College at Cambridge for a year.

War Veteran
Gibbs isn’t the only one who has served his country. Ducky worked for the British police and also served in the military. In fact, he served during the Vietnam War. He also worked in a refugee camp in Afghanistan in 1980.

Haunted By His Past
While working if Afghanistan, Ducky met CIA interrogator Marcin Jerek. Jerek tortured men to get information, including one who was innocent. Jerek sent this man to Ducky for medical help. Ducky then decided to end his life by giving him an overdose of morphine, as he was too far gone. This incident affected Ducky’s life for years.

No Nicknames
While many members of NCIS have nicknames, Ducky only calls his colleagues by their first names. To that end, only Gibbs is allowed to shorten Ducky’s nickname to Duck. He got huffy when Ziva seemingly did, but she was only giving him direction so as to not hit his head on a wire!

Retired
In Season 16, Ducky decided to retire from NCIS after 26 years. He left his role as Chief Medical Examiner, but he got appointed to be the new NCIS Historian. Jimmy Palmer, who worked under Ducky for years, has taken his place.