PVT Marcus Segan

courtesy of Des Philippet

PVT Marcus Segan was born in 1916 in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the 3rd of the 4 children born to Toma and Milka (Gropac) Segan. His parents were natives of Yugoslavia. Toma (called Tom here) had immigrated in 1906 and Milka (called Mildred) came in 1912. She left the couple's first child, Pero, with his grandparents. Mildred would not see Pero until 1957 and Marcus never met him. Tom died in 1923. Mildred married Stanley Wujnovich in 1928. Stanley worked as a crane operator in an elevator factory but he died at the age of 46 just 6-years later in 1934. Marcus graduated from East Technical High School and went to work as a grinder at the Cleveland Wire Spring factory. He attended the Cleveland Police Cadet Course #14 and graduated in August 1943. He then went to work as a Cleveland police officer, badge number 312.

Just 4 months after beginning service on the Cleveland police force, Marcus was drafted in December 1943. After his basic military training including training with military communications equipment, PVT Segan was sent to the European theater. He was transferred from the replacement depot to Headquarters 2nd Battalion 116th Infantry on 4 Sep 1944. The unit was in reserve near Kerkrade, Holland when he was in a jeep transporting coils of wire with 4 other soldiers from 2nd Battalions signal section when the vehicle struck and detonated a German mine. 4 men, including PVT Segan were killed. Dying with him were CPL Wimburne Phinney, PVT Hairston Cumberland, and PVT Earl Dale Potter.

PVT Segan rests forever in the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery.