Obituary - Hueston Richard Wynkoop
Obituary - Hueston Richard Wynkoop.

    I would like to express my thanks to my good friend Gerard E. Wynkoop, [email protected], of Beaverton, Oregon, for sending me Hueston's obituary way back in March of 1999. I fully intended to post Hueston's story here in the Research Library much sooner than this, but the press of other things kept pushing this onto a back burner. Well the back burner has finally brought Hueston's story to a boil and here it is for you to read.

    Hueston's story is an interesting one from another perspective as well. I've been unable to trace his heritage back beyond the 1850s when his ancestor states for the Federal Census that he was born in Holland. Hueston may, therefore, be one of those relatively rare Wynkoops who are not related to Cornelis Wijnkoop and Maria Janse Van Langedyck. If anyone has further information on Hueston or his family and their heritage, please feel free to contact me at [email protected].

    In the meantime, enjoy his story. I'd like to have known him.

    All my best,

    Chris


Hueston Richard Wynkoop

******************

Hueston Richard Wynkoop
      NO. 10962     CLASS OF 1937
Died  15 December 1944 in Subic Bay,
Philippines, aged 31 years.

HUESTON RICHARD WYNKOOP was born 16 September 1913, in Bridgeport, Connecticut to Mr. and Mrs. John Barnard Wynkoop. He completed his elementary schooling in 1927 and entered Bridgeport's Central High School the same year. He graduated from Central in 1931, and soon thereafter enlisted in the Connecticut National Guard with a view to winning an appointment to West Point. With Guard approval, he was able to attend Millard Preparatory School in Washington, DC prior to taking the West Point entrance examinations. He finished well up among the competitors and was admitted to West Point on 1 July 1933. As a cadet, it didn't take long to discover that he was something special. He was blessed with a warm, engaging personality; he was fun to be with; he was a born mimic who could break up any meeting with his impressions (a particular TAC, an absent-minded professor, a certain cavalry instructor, BIG FIXE, etc.) and he made people laugh. We knew then that the Bishop would take all these remarkable attributes with him into the Army, and were certain that no matter how tough a situation might become, he would handle it with that big smile and a few dozen well chosen words. Upon graduation from USMA, Bish was assigned to Vancouver Barracks, Washington. There he was a company officer and a battalion adjutant in the 7th Infantry Division. He and Mary Clark Grunert were married on 4 November 1939. Still honeymooning, they departed in January 1940 for the Philippines and arrived at Fort McKinley in late February. He was given command of the howitzer platoon of Headquarters Company of the 57th Infantry. Mary was evacuated in the late spring of 1941 and, when the Japanese attacked, Bish was with the 57th Infantry on Bataan. During the early days of combat, he was transferred to Headquarters I Corps, Philippine Army, and was with them when the American forces surrendered. He endured the Death March and the hardships of the POW camps and then, along with some 1800 other American POW's, was placed aboard the POW ship Oryoku Maru. He was killed when that ship was sunk in Subic Bay on 15 December 1944. He was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart, for his outstanding combat leadership during the Bataan Campaign. Though not there, I just know that during the most difficult hours of the Death March, that famous smile helped buoy flagging spirits and gave many a weary infantryman the strength to face tomorrow. Well done, Bish!

A classmate

Source:

Unknown, "Hueston Richard Wynkoop", West Point Assembly, Newburgh, N.Y., Published for the Association of Graduates, United States Military Academy by the West Point Alumni Foundation, Inc., January 1990: Pp. 143-144

Created September 17, 2001; Revised July 14, 2005
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