Houck, Eric Michael
Male
Verified U.S. Army Sergeant Eric Michael Houck, 25, of Baltimore, Maryland, was killed in a hostile incident in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, on June 10, 2017.
Their Story
Eric Michael Houck was a 25-year-old sergeant from Baltimore, Maryland, serving with the U.S. Army's Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He was deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Freedom's Sentinel.
On June 10, 2017, Sergeant Houck was killed alongside two other soldiers, Private First Class Hansen B. Kirkpatrick and Staff Sergeant David T. Brabander, in an insider attack in Nangarhar province. The incident occurred when an individual in an Afghan military uniform opened fire on the soldiers in the Achin district, east of the provincial capital, Jalalabad.
Operation Freedom's Sentinel was the U.S. mission in Afghanistan that began in January 2015, following the conclusion of the larger International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) combat mission. Its stated objectives included training Afghan forces and conducting counterterrorism operations against groups like the Islamic State's Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) and the Taliban.
The Department of Defense announced the deaths the following day. Houck was posthumously promoted from specialist to sergeant. He was survived by his wife and two young children, who were living near Fort Campbell at the time of his death.
Sergeant Houck was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. His battalion commander stated Houck had volunteered for the deployment to be with his unit.
Explore Further
Eric Houck was killed during Operation Freedom's Sentinel (ongoing since January 2015). See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.
Among those documented in the same conflict: Golden, Jonathan Joseph, Sanchez, Maria Victoria, Dawson, John Michael, Ruiz, Pablo Allende Iii.
