Died in the service of his country - US Army Air Forces
Maj. David Henry Wainwright Houck's journey to this quiet place under the trees
in Druid Ridge Cemetery began with his execution in 1945 as a Japanese prisoner
of war in Hong Kong's notorious Stanley Prison. The Baltimore-born Houck, who
graduated in 1935 from Johns Hopkins University with an engineering degree,
entered the Army Engineer Corps in 1941. After Pearl Harbor was bombed, he
requested a transfer to the Army Air Corps. Trained as a pursuit pilot at Craig
Field, Ala., in April 1944 he was ordered to India, where he rose to the rank of
major and served as operations officer. That December, he was sent to China to
take command of the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron of the 14th Air Force
Association, better known as the famed "Flying Tigers."
On a bombing mission Jan. 15, 1945, against Japanese forces occupying Hong Kong,
Houck's P-51 Mustang fighter was riddled with anti-aircraft fire. His plane was
seen burning heavily as it made its way east over the harbor; then it flipped
over and plunged into the water. Houck managed to parachute from the burning
plane and was immediately taken prisoner -- although it was not known at the
time whether he made it out or not. It was the first time that Houck had flown
through enemy fire that could turn the sky black with danger.
Imprisoned in solitary confinement, Houck refused to divulge any information
regarding air power, sites or Allied plans, according to a Roman Catholic priest
who was also incarcerated at Stanley Prison.
On April 5, 1945, he was brought before a Japanese military tribunal but was not
allowed to have counsel or present evidence. He was convicted of sinking a small
Chinese vessel, causing the loss of eight lives, and was condemned to death. For
a time, it was rumored that Houck had been beheaded, but the true story wasn't
known until the end of 1945. The day after his trial ended, Houck was tied to a
cross in the prison yard, blindfolded and shot. His body was later buried in the
prison yard.
A letter to his mother, Nellie Houck, and his sister, Elizabeth Houck, who lived
in the Cambridge Arms Apartments across Johns Hopkins' Homewood campus, from
Army Maj. Gen. Edward F. Witsell, adjutant general of the Army, said, "His
courage and faith will never be forgotten."
A United States military commission later tried the five Japanese officers in
connection with Houck's death. Two were sentenced to hang, two to life sentences
and one to a 50-year term.
In October 1947, Houck's body was one of the first to be returned to Maryland
from the Pacific Theater. He was buried in Druid Ridge Cemetery after a funeral
service at University Baptist Church.
"Mrs. Houck decided to have a gravestone that would express her sorrow at the
loss of her only son, and even more, her pride in the achievement of one of the
men who won World War II," said a 1950 story in The Evening Sun. Reuben Kramer,
the noted Baltimore sculptor, fashioned Houck's memorial from a shaft of
Tennessee marble. In bas relief, he carved Houck's fighter pilot's wings and the
shoulder patch of a U.S. soldier assigned to the China Theater.
Under his name is engraved "Died in the Service of his Country," and on the
reverse side is Houck's military record. At the bottom of the stone, Kramer
chisled in words from the 10th chapter of Matthew, which still inspire the
casual walker who happens upon this tranquil setting: "Fear not them which kill
the body, but are not able to kill the soul."
∼Commanding Officer, 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Fourteenth Air Force
David Houck was born in Baltimore Maryland on December 26, 1914 to Harry E. and Nellie W. Houck. He enrolled at Johns Hopkins University in 1932 and graduated in 1935 with a Bachelors of Engineering. David entered the Army Engineering Corps in April 1941 as a lieutenant. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he requested and received a transfer to the Army Air Corps to train as a pilot. Preflight was at Maxwell, AL. He trained as a pursuit pilot at Craig Field, AL where he earned his wings and remained there for one and a half years as an instructor. It was here that he was promoted to captain. In April 1944 he received orders to India. In India, Capt. Houck was a member of General Haddon's staff where he served as chief of operations. It was here that he obtained the rank of major. In December 1944 he was sent to China to take command of the 118th TRS from Lt Col McComas.
Major Houck was shot down over Hong Kong in a raid taking place on 15 January 1945 (MACR 11635). He was captured and charged with indiscriminate bombing. Major Houck was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death by a military tribunal. The trial took place on 5 April 1945, and pursuant to a sentence of death, he was executed by musketry on 6 April 1945 at Sheko Bay, Hong Kong.
Baltimore Sun
Sun, The (Baltimore, MD)
May 23, 1998
Column: Way Back When
Baltimore war hero rests in Druid Ridge Cemetery
P.O.W.: In 1945, Air Corps Maj. David Henry Wainwright Houck was shot down over Hong Kong. Imprisoned by the Japanese, he refused to provide military information and was later shot.
Author: Fred Rasmussen
SUN STAFF
Edition: F
Section: FEATURES
Page: 2E
Maj. David Henry Wainwright Houck's journey to this quiet place under the trees in Druid Ridge Cemetery began with his execution in 1945 as a Japanese prisoner of war in Hong Kong's notorious Stanley Prison.
The Baltimore-born Houck, who graduated in 1935 from Johns Hopkins University with an engineering degree, entered the Army Engineer Corps in 1941. After Pearl Harbor was bombed, he requested a transfer to the Army Air Corps.
Trained as a pursuit pilot at Craig Field, Ala., in April 1944 he was ordered to India, where he rose to the rank of major and served as operations officer. That December, he was sent to China to take command of the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron of the 14th Air Force Association, better known as the famed "Flying Tigers."
On a bombing mission Jan. 15, 1945, against Japanese forces occupying Hong Kong, Houck's P-51 Mustang fighter was riddled with anti-aircraft fire. His plane was seen burning heavily as it made its way east over the harbor; then it flipped over and plunged into the water.
Houck managed to parachute from the burning plane and was immediately taken prisoner -- although it was not known at the time whether he made it out or not.
"He was a very intense individual," said Fred Poats in a 1987 interview with The Evening Sun.
At the time, Poats was a 22-year-old second lieutenant assigned to Suichwan, China, where Houck and 15 other men took off for the raid on Hong Kong and Canton.
"He already had considerable leadership experience as a base commander in the States. He approached his new assignment in a businesslike fashion. He was highly analytical," Poats said.
However, it was the first time that Houck had flown through enemy fire that could turn the sky black with danger.
Imprisoned in solitary confinement, Houck refused to divulge any information regarding air power, sites or Allied plans, according to a Roman Catholic priest who was also incarcerated at Stanley Prison.
On April 5, 1945, he was brought before a Japanese military tribunal but was not allowed to have counsel or present evidence.
He was convicted of sinking a small Chinese vessel, causing the loss of eight lives, and was condemned to death.
For a time, it was rumored that Houck had been beheaded, but the true story wasn't known until the end of 1945. The day after his trial ended, Houck was tied to a cross in the prison yard, blindfolded and shot. His body was later buried in the prison yard.
"The Japanese, who could not destroy the 118th in the air, were determined to destroy our morale by executing our commander," Wayne G. Johnson, a past commander of the Flying Tigers, 14th Air Force Association, told The Evening Sun in 1987.
A letter to his mother, Nellie Houck, and his sister, Elizabeth Houck, who lived in the Cambridge Arms Apartments across Johns Hopkins' Homewood campus, from Army Maj. Gen. Edward F. Witsell, adjutant general of the Army, said, "His courage and faith will never be forgotten."
A United States military commission later tried the five Japanese officers in connection with Houck's death. Two were sentenced to hang, two to life sentences and one to a 50-year term.
In October 1947, Houck's body was one of the first to be returned to Maryland from the Pacific Theater. He was buried in Druid Ridge Cemetery after a funeral service at University Baptist Church.
"Mrs. Houck decided to have a gravestone that would express her sorrow at the loss of her only son, and even more, her pride in the achievement of one of the men who won World War II," said a 1950 story in The Evening Sun.
Reuben Kramer, the noted Baltimore sculptor, fashioned Houck's memorial from a shaft of Tennessee marble. In bas relief, he carved Houck's fighter pilot's wings and the shoulder patch of a U.S. soldier assigned to the China Theater.
Under his name is engraved "Died in the Service of his Country," and on the reverse side is Houck's military record.
At the bottom of the stone, Kramer chisled in words from the 10th chapter of Matthew, which still inspire the casual walker who happens upon this tranquil setting:
"Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul."
Pub Date: 5/23/98
Maj. David Henry Wainwright Houck's journey to this quiet place under the trees
in Druid Ridge Cemetery began with his execution in 1945 as a Japanese prisoner
of war in Hong Kong's notorious Stanley Prison. The Baltimore-born Houck, who
graduated in 1935 from Johns Hopkins University with an engineering degree,
entered the Army Engineer Corps in 1941. After Pearl Harbor was bombed, he
requested a transfer to the Army Air Corps. Trained as a pursuit pilot at Craig
Field, Ala., in April 1944 he was ordered to India, where he rose to the rank of
major and served as operations officer. That December, he was sent to China to
take command of the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron of the 14th Air Force
Association, better known as the famed "Flying Tigers."
On a bombing mission Jan. 15, 1945, against Japanese forces occupying Hong Kong,
Houck's P-51 Mustang fighter was riddled with anti-aircraft fire. His plane was
seen burning heavily as it made its way east over the harbor; then it flipped
over and plunged into the water. Houck managed to parachute from the burning
plane and was immediately taken prisoner -- although it was not known at the
time whether he made it out or not. It was the first time that Houck had flown
through enemy fire that could turn the sky black with danger.
Imprisoned in solitary confinement, Houck refused to divulge any information
regarding air power, sites or Allied plans, according to a Roman Catholic priest
who was also incarcerated at Stanley Prison.
On April 5, 1945, he was brought before a Japanese military tribunal but was not
allowed to have counsel or present evidence. He was convicted of sinking a small
Chinese vessel, causing the loss of eight lives, and was condemned to death. For
a time, it was rumored that Houck had been beheaded, but the true story wasn't
known until the end of 1945. The day after his trial ended, Houck was tied to a
cross in the prison yard, blindfolded and shot. His body was later buried in the
prison yard.
A letter to his mother, Nellie Houck, and his sister, Elizabeth Houck, who lived
in the Cambridge Arms Apartments across Johns Hopkins' Homewood campus, from
Army Maj. Gen. Edward F. Witsell, adjutant general of the Army, said, "His
courage and faith will never be forgotten."
A United States military commission later tried the five Japanese officers in
connection with Houck's death. Two were sentenced to hang, two to life sentences
and one to a 50-year term.
In October 1947, Houck's body was one of the first to be returned to Maryland
from the Pacific Theater. He was buried in Druid Ridge Cemetery after a funeral
service at University Baptist Church.
"Mrs. Houck decided to have a gravestone that would express her sorrow at the
loss of her only son, and even more, her pride in the achievement of one of the
men who won World War II," said a 1950 story in The Evening Sun. Reuben Kramer,
the noted Baltimore sculptor, fashioned Houck's memorial from a shaft of
Tennessee marble. In bas relief, he carved Houck's fighter pilot's wings and the
shoulder patch of a U.S. soldier assigned to the China Theater.
Under his name is engraved "Died in the Service of his Country," and on the
reverse side is Houck's military record. At the bottom of the stone, Kramer
chisled in words from the 10th chapter of Matthew, which still inspire the
casual walker who happens upon this tranquil setting: "Fear not them which kill
the body, but are not able to kill the soul."
∼Commanding Officer, 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Fourteenth Air Force
David Houck was born in Baltimore Maryland on December 26, 1914 to Harry E. and Nellie W. Houck. He enrolled at Johns Hopkins University in 1932 and graduated in 1935 with a Bachelors of Engineering. David entered the Army Engineering Corps in April 1941 as a lieutenant. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he requested and received a transfer to the Army Air Corps to train as a pilot. Preflight was at Maxwell, AL. He trained as a pursuit pilot at Craig Field, AL where he earned his wings and remained there for one and a half years as an instructor. It was here that he was promoted to captain. In April 1944 he received orders to India. In India, Capt. Houck was a member of General Haddon's staff where he served as chief of operations. It was here that he obtained the rank of major. In December 1944 he was sent to China to take command of the 118th TRS from Lt Col McComas.
Major Houck was shot down over Hong Kong in a raid taking place on 15 January 1945 (MACR 11635). He was captured and charged with indiscriminate bombing. Major Houck was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death by a military tribunal. The trial took place on 5 April 1945, and pursuant to a sentence of death, he was executed by musketry on 6 April 1945 at Sheko Bay, Hong Kong.
Baltimore Sun
Sun, The (Baltimore, MD)
May 23, 1998
Column: Way Back When
Baltimore war hero rests in Druid Ridge Cemetery
P.O.W.: In 1945, Air Corps Maj. David Henry Wainwright Houck was shot down over Hong Kong. Imprisoned by the Japanese, he refused to provide military information and was later shot.
Author: Fred Rasmussen
SUN STAFF
Edition: F
Section: FEATURES
Page: 2E
Maj. David Henry Wainwright Houck's journey to this quiet place under the trees in Druid Ridge Cemetery began with his execution in 1945 as a Japanese prisoner of war in Hong Kong's notorious Stanley Prison.
The Baltimore-born Houck, who graduated in 1935 from Johns Hopkins University with an engineering degree, entered the Army Engineer Corps in 1941. After Pearl Harbor was bombed, he requested a transfer to the Army Air Corps.
Trained as a pursuit pilot at Craig Field, Ala., in April 1944 he was ordered to India, where he rose to the rank of major and served as operations officer. That December, he was sent to China to take command of the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron of the 14th Air Force Association, better known as the famed "Flying Tigers."
On a bombing mission Jan. 15, 1945, against Japanese forces occupying Hong Kong, Houck's P-51 Mustang fighter was riddled with anti-aircraft fire. His plane was seen burning heavily as it made its way east over the harbor; then it flipped over and plunged into the water.
Houck managed to parachute from the burning plane and was immediately taken prisoner -- although it was not known at the time whether he made it out or not.
"He was a very intense individual," said Fred Poats in a 1987 interview with The Evening Sun.
At the time, Poats was a 22-year-old second lieutenant assigned to Suichwan, China, where Houck and 15 other men took off for the raid on Hong Kong and Canton.
"He already had considerable leadership experience as a base commander in the States. He approached his new assignment in a businesslike fashion. He was highly analytical," Poats said.
However, it was the first time that Houck had flown through enemy fire that could turn the sky black with danger.
Imprisoned in solitary confinement, Houck refused to divulge any information regarding air power, sites or Allied plans, according to a Roman Catholic priest who was also incarcerated at Stanley Prison.
On April 5, 1945, he was brought before a Japanese military tribunal but was not allowed to have counsel or present evidence.
He was convicted of sinking a small Chinese vessel, causing the loss of eight lives, and was condemned to death.
For a time, it was rumored that Houck had been beheaded, but the true story wasn't known until the end of 1945. The day after his trial ended, Houck was tied to a cross in the prison yard, blindfolded and shot. His body was later buried in the prison yard.
"The Japanese, who could not destroy the 118th in the air, were determined to destroy our morale by executing our commander," Wayne G. Johnson, a past commander of the Flying Tigers, 14th Air Force Association, told The Evening Sun in 1987.
A letter to his mother, Nellie Houck, and his sister, Elizabeth Houck, who lived in the Cambridge Arms Apartments across Johns Hopkins' Homewood campus, from Army Maj. Gen. Edward F. Witsell, adjutant general of the Army, said, "His courage and faith will never be forgotten."
A United States military commission later tried the five Japanese officers in connection with Houck's death. Two were sentenced to hang, two to life sentences and one to a 50-year term.
In October 1947, Houck's body was one of the first to be returned to Maryland from the Pacific Theater. He was buried in Druid Ridge Cemetery after a funeral service at University Baptist Church.
"Mrs. Houck decided to have a gravestone that would express her sorrow at the loss of her only son, and even more, her pride in the achievement of one of the men who won World War II," said a 1950 story in The Evening Sun.
Reuben Kramer, the noted Baltimore sculptor, fashioned Houck's memorial from a shaft of Tennessee marble. In bas relief, he carved Houck's fighter pilot's wings and the shoulder patch of a U.S. soldier assigned to the China Theater.
Under his name is engraved "Died in the Service of his Country," and on the reverse side is Houck's military record.
At the bottom of the stone, Kramer chisled in words from the 10th chapter of Matthew, which still inspire the casual walker who happens upon this tranquil setting:
"Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul."
Pub Date: 5/23/98
Died in the service of his country - US Army Air Forces
Maj. David Henry Wainwright Houck's journey to this quiet place under the trees
in Druid Ridge Cemetery began with his execution in 1945 as a Japanese prisoner
of war in Hong Kong's notorious Stanley Prison. The Baltimore-born Houck, who
graduated in 1935 from Johns Hopkins University with an engineering degree,
entered the Army Engineer Corps in 1941. After Pearl Harbor was bombed, he
requested a transfer to the Army Air Corps. Trained as a pursuit pilot at Craig
Field, Ala., in April 1944 he was ordered to India, where he rose to the rank of
major and served as operations officer. That December, he was sent to China to
take command of the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron of the 14th Air Force
Association, better known as the famed "Flying Tigers."
On a bombing mission Jan. 15, 1945, against Japanese forces occupying Hong Kong,
Houck's P-51 Mustang fighter was riddled with anti-aircraft fire. His plane was
seen burning heavily as it made its way east over the harbor; then it flipped
over and plunged into the water. Houck managed to parachute from the burning
plane and was immediately taken prisoner -- although it was not known at the
time whether he made it out or not. It was the first time that Houck had flown
through enemy fire that could turn the sky black with danger.
Imprisoned in solitary confinement, Houck refused to divulge any information
regarding air power, sites or Allied plans, according to a Roman Catholic priest
who was also incarcerated at Stanley Prison.
On April 5, 1945, he was brought before a Japanese military tribunal but was not
allowed to have counsel or present evidence. He was convicted of sinking a small
Chinese vessel, causing the loss of eight lives, and was condemned to death. For
a time, it was rumored that Houck had been beheaded, but the true story wasn't
known until the end of 1945. The day after his trial ended, Houck was tied to a
cross in the prison yard, blindfolded and shot. His body was later buried in the
prison yard.
A letter to his mother, Nellie Houck, and his sister, Elizabeth Houck, who lived
in the Cambridge Arms Apartments across Johns Hopkins' Homewood campus, from
Army Maj. Gen. Edward F. Witsell, adjutant general of the Army, said, "His
courage and faith will never be forgotten."
A United States military commission later tried the five Japanese officers in
connection with Houck's death. Two were sentenced to hang, two to life sentences
and one to a 50-year term.
In October 1947, Houck's body was one of the first to be returned to Maryland
from the Pacific Theater. He was buried in Druid Ridge Cemetery after a funeral
service at University Baptist Church.
"Mrs. Houck decided to have a gravestone that would express her sorrow at the
loss of her only son, and even more, her pride in the achievement of one of the
men who won World War II," said a 1950 story in The Evening Sun. Reuben Kramer,
the noted Baltimore sculptor, fashioned Houck's memorial from a shaft of
Tennessee marble. In bas relief, he carved Houck's fighter pilot's wings and the
shoulder patch of a U.S. soldier assigned to the China Theater.
Under his name is engraved "Died in the Service of his Country," and on the
reverse side is Houck's military record. At the bottom of the stone, Kramer
chisled in words from the 10th chapter of Matthew, which still inspire the
casual walker who happens upon this tranquil setting: "Fear not them which kill
the body, but are not able to kill the soul."
∼Commanding Officer, 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Fourteenth Air Force
David Houck was born in Baltimore Maryland on December 26, 1914 to Harry E. and Nellie W. Houck. He enrolled at Johns Hopkins University in 1932 and graduated in 1935 with a Bachelors of Engineering. David entered the Army Engineering Corps in April 1941 as a lieutenant. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he requested and received a transfer to the Army Air Corps to train as a pilot. Preflight was at Maxwell, AL. He trained as a pursuit pilot at Craig Field, AL where he earned his wings and remained there for one and a half years as an instructor. It was here that he was promoted to captain. In April 1944 he received orders to India. In India, Capt. Houck was a member of General Haddon's staff where he served as chief of operations. It was here that he obtained the rank of major. In December 1944 he was sent to China to take command of the 118th TRS from Lt Col McComas.
Major Houck was shot down over Hong Kong in a raid taking place on 15 January 1945 (MACR 11635). He was captured and charged with indiscriminate bombing. Major Houck was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death by a military tribunal. The trial took place on 5 April 1945, and pursuant to a sentence of death, he was executed by musketry on 6 April 1945 at Sheko Bay, Hong Kong.
Baltimore Sun
Sun, The (Baltimore, MD)
May 23, 1998
Column: Way Back When
Baltimore war hero rests in Druid Ridge Cemetery
P.O.W.: In 1945, Air Corps Maj. David Henry Wainwright Houck was shot down over Hong Kong. Imprisoned by the Japanese, he refused to provide military information and was later shot.
Author: Fred Rasmussen
SUN STAFF
Edition: F
Section: FEATURES
Page: 2E
Maj. David Henry Wainwright Houck's journey to this quiet place under the trees in Druid Ridge Cemetery began with his execution in 1945 as a Japanese prisoner of war in Hong Kong's notorious Stanley Prison.
The Baltimore-born Houck, who graduated in 1935 from Johns Hopkins University with an engineering degree, entered the Army Engineer Corps in 1941. After Pearl Harbor was bombed, he requested a transfer to the Army Air Corps.
Trained as a pursuit pilot at Craig Field, Ala., in April 1944 he was ordered to India, where he rose to the rank of major and served as operations officer. That December, he was sent to China to take command of the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron of the 14th Air Force Association, better known as the famed "Flying Tigers."
On a bombing mission Jan. 15, 1945, against Japanese forces occupying Hong Kong, Houck's P-51 Mustang fighter was riddled with anti-aircraft fire. His plane was seen burning heavily as it made its way east over the harbor; then it flipped over and plunged into the water.
Houck managed to parachute from the burning plane and was immediately taken prisoner -- although it was not known at the time whether he made it out or not.
"He was a very intense individual," said Fred Poats in a 1987 interview with The Evening Sun.
At the time, Poats was a 22-year-old second lieutenant assigned to Suichwan, China, where Houck and 15 other men took off for the raid on Hong Kong and Canton.
"He already had considerable leadership experience as a base commander in the States. He approached his new assignment in a businesslike fashion. He was highly analytical," Poats said.
However, it was the first time that Houck had flown through enemy fire that could turn the sky black with danger.
Imprisoned in solitary confinement, Houck refused to divulge any information regarding air power, sites or Allied plans, according to a Roman Catholic priest who was also incarcerated at Stanley Prison.
On April 5, 1945, he was brought before a Japanese military tribunal but was not allowed to have counsel or present evidence.
He was convicted of sinking a small Chinese vessel, causing the loss of eight lives, and was condemned to death.
For a time, it was rumored that Houck had been beheaded, but the true story wasn't known until the end of 1945. The day after his trial ended, Houck was tied to a cross in the prison yard, blindfolded and shot. His body was later buried in the prison yard.
"The Japanese, who could not destroy the 118th in the air, were determined to destroy our morale by executing our commander," Wayne G. Johnson, a past commander of the Flying Tigers, 14th Air Force Association, told The Evening Sun in 1987.
A letter to his mother, Nellie Houck, and his sister, Elizabeth Houck, who lived in the Cambridge Arms Apartments across Johns Hopkins' Homewood campus, from Army Maj. Gen. Edward F. Witsell, adjutant general of the Army, said, "His courage and faith will never be forgotten."
A United States military commission later tried the five Japanese officers in connection with Houck's death. Two were sentenced to hang, two to life sentences and one to a 50-year term.
In October 1947, Houck's body was one of the first to be returned to Maryland from the Pacific Theater. He was buried in Druid Ridge Cemetery after a funeral service at University Baptist Church.
"Mrs. Houck decided to have a gravestone that would express her sorrow at the loss of her only son, and even more, her pride in the achievement of one of the men who won World War II," said a 1950 story in The Evening Sun.
Reuben Kramer, the noted Baltimore sculptor, fashioned Houck's memorial from a shaft of Tennessee marble. In bas relief, he carved Houck's fighter pilot's wings and the shoulder patch of a U.S. soldier assigned to the China Theater.
Under his name is engraved "Died in the Service of his Country," and on the reverse side is Houck's military record.
At the bottom of the stone, Kramer chisled in words from the 10th chapter of Matthew, which still inspire the casual walker who happens upon this tranquil setting:
"Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul."
Pub Date: 5/23/98
Maj. David Henry Wainwright Houck's journey to this quiet place under the trees
in Druid Ridge Cemetery began with his execution in 1945 as a Japanese prisoner
of war in Hong Kong's notorious Stanley Prison. The Baltimore-born Houck, who
graduated in 1935 from Johns Hopkins University with an engineering degree,
entered the Army Engineer Corps in 1941. After Pearl Harbor was bombed, he
requested a transfer to the Army Air Corps. Trained as a pursuit pilot at Craig
Field, Ala., in April 1944 he was ordered to India, where he rose to the rank of
major and served as operations officer. That December, he was sent to China to
take command of the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron of the 14th Air Force
Association, better known as the famed "Flying Tigers."
On a bombing mission Jan. 15, 1945, against Japanese forces occupying Hong Kong,
Houck's P-51 Mustang fighter was riddled with anti-aircraft fire. His plane was
seen burning heavily as it made its way east over the harbor; then it flipped
over and plunged into the water. Houck managed to parachute from the burning
plane and was immediately taken prisoner -- although it was not known at the
time whether he made it out or not. It was the first time that Houck had flown
through enemy fire that could turn the sky black with danger.
Imprisoned in solitary confinement, Houck refused to divulge any information
regarding air power, sites or Allied plans, according to a Roman Catholic priest
who was also incarcerated at Stanley Prison.
On April 5, 1945, he was brought before a Japanese military tribunal but was not
allowed to have counsel or present evidence. He was convicted of sinking a small
Chinese vessel, causing the loss of eight lives, and was condemned to death. For
a time, it was rumored that Houck had been beheaded, but the true story wasn't
known until the end of 1945. The day after his trial ended, Houck was tied to a
cross in the prison yard, blindfolded and shot. His body was later buried in the
prison yard.
A letter to his mother, Nellie Houck, and his sister, Elizabeth Houck, who lived
in the Cambridge Arms Apartments across Johns Hopkins' Homewood campus, from
Army Maj. Gen. Edward F. Witsell, adjutant general of the Army, said, "His
courage and faith will never be forgotten."
A United States military commission later tried the five Japanese officers in
connection with Houck's death. Two were sentenced to hang, two to life sentences
and one to a 50-year term.
In October 1947, Houck's body was one of the first to be returned to Maryland
from the Pacific Theater. He was buried in Druid Ridge Cemetery after a funeral
service at University Baptist Church.
"Mrs. Houck decided to have a gravestone that would express her sorrow at the
loss of her only son, and even more, her pride in the achievement of one of the
men who won World War II," said a 1950 story in The Evening Sun. Reuben Kramer,
the noted Baltimore sculptor, fashioned Houck's memorial from a shaft of
Tennessee marble. In bas relief, he carved Houck's fighter pilot's wings and the
shoulder patch of a U.S. soldier assigned to the China Theater.
Under his name is engraved "Died in the Service of his Country," and on the
reverse side is Houck's military record. At the bottom of the stone, Kramer
chisled in words from the 10th chapter of Matthew, which still inspire the
casual walker who happens upon this tranquil setting: "Fear not them which kill
the body, but are not able to kill the soul."
∼Commanding Officer, 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Fourteenth Air Force
David Houck was born in Baltimore Maryland on December 26, 1914 to Harry E. and Nellie W. Houck. He enrolled at Johns Hopkins University in 1932 and graduated in 1935 with a Bachelors of Engineering. David entered the Army Engineering Corps in April 1941 as a lieutenant. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he requested and received a transfer to the Army Air Corps to train as a pilot. Preflight was at Maxwell, AL. He trained as a pursuit pilot at Craig Field, AL where he earned his wings and remained there for one and a half years as an instructor. It was here that he was promoted to captain. In April 1944 he received orders to India. In India, Capt. Houck was a member of General Haddon's staff where he served as chief of operations. It was here that he obtained the rank of major. In December 1944 he was sent to China to take command of the 118th TRS from Lt Col McComas.
Major Houck was shot down over Hong Kong in a raid taking place on 15 January 1945 (MACR 11635). He was captured and charged with indiscriminate bombing. Major Houck was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death by a military tribunal. The trial took place on 5 April 1945, and pursuant to a sentence of death, he was executed by musketry on 6 April 1945 at Sheko Bay, Hong Kong.
Baltimore Sun
Sun, The (Baltimore, MD)
May 23, 1998
Column: Way Back When
Baltimore war hero rests in Druid Ridge Cemetery
P.O.W.: In 1945, Air Corps Maj. David Henry Wainwright Houck was shot down over Hong Kong. Imprisoned by the Japanese, he refused to provide military information and was later shot.
Author: Fred Rasmussen
SUN STAFF
Edition: F
Section: FEATURES
Page: 2E
Maj. David Henry Wainwright Houck's journey to this quiet place under the trees in Druid Ridge Cemetery began with his execution in 1945 as a Japanese prisoner of war in Hong Kong's notorious Stanley Prison.
The Baltimore-born Houck, who graduated in 1935 from Johns Hopkins University with an engineering degree, entered the Army Engineer Corps in 1941. After Pearl Harbor was bombed, he requested a transfer to the Army Air Corps.
Trained as a pursuit pilot at Craig Field, Ala., in April 1944 he was ordered to India, where he rose to the rank of major and served as operations officer. That December, he was sent to China to take command of the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron of the 14th Air Force Association, better known as the famed "Flying Tigers."
On a bombing mission Jan. 15, 1945, against Japanese forces occupying Hong Kong, Houck's P-51 Mustang fighter was riddled with anti-aircraft fire. His plane was seen burning heavily as it made its way east over the harbor; then it flipped over and plunged into the water.
Houck managed to parachute from the burning plane and was immediately taken prisoner -- although it was not known at the time whether he made it out or not.
"He was a very intense individual," said Fred Poats in a 1987 interview with The Evening Sun.
At the time, Poats was a 22-year-old second lieutenant assigned to Suichwan, China, where Houck and 15 other men took off for the raid on Hong Kong and Canton.
"He already had considerable leadership experience as a base commander in the States. He approached his new assignment in a businesslike fashion. He was highly analytical," Poats said.
However, it was the first time that Houck had flown through enemy fire that could turn the sky black with danger.
Imprisoned in solitary confinement, Houck refused to divulge any information regarding air power, sites or Allied plans, according to a Roman Catholic priest who was also incarcerated at Stanley Prison.
On April 5, 1945, he was brought before a Japanese military tribunal but was not allowed to have counsel or present evidence.
He was convicted of sinking a small Chinese vessel, causing the loss of eight lives, and was condemned to death.
For a time, it was rumored that Houck had been beheaded, but the true story wasn't known until the end of 1945. The day after his trial ended, Houck was tied to a cross in the prison yard, blindfolded and shot. His body was later buried in the prison yard.
"The Japanese, who could not destroy the 118th in the air, were determined to destroy our morale by executing our commander," Wayne G. Johnson, a past commander of the Flying Tigers, 14th Air Force Association, told The Evening Sun in 1987.
A letter to his mother, Nellie Houck, and his sister, Elizabeth Houck, who lived in the Cambridge Arms Apartments across Johns Hopkins' Homewood campus, from Army Maj. Gen. Edward F. Witsell, adjutant general of the Army, said, "His courage and faith will never be forgotten."
A United States military commission later tried the five Japanese officers in connection with Houck's death. Two were sentenced to hang, two to life sentences and one to a 50-year term.
In October 1947, Houck's body was one of the first to be returned to Maryland from the Pacific Theater. He was buried in Druid Ridge Cemetery after a funeral service at University Baptist Church.
"Mrs. Houck decided to have a gravestone that would express her sorrow at the loss of her only son, and even more, her pride in the achievement of one of the men who won World War II," said a 1950 story in The Evening Sun.
Reuben Kramer, the noted Baltimore sculptor, fashioned Houck's memorial from a shaft of Tennessee marble. In bas relief, he carved Houck's fighter pilot's wings and the shoulder patch of a U.S. soldier assigned to the China Theater.
Under his name is engraved "Died in the Service of his Country," and on the reverse side is Houck's military record.
At the bottom of the stone, Kramer chisled in words from the 10th chapter of Matthew, which still inspire the casual walker who happens upon this tranquil setting:
"Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul."
Pub Date: 5/23/98
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