Albin John Pocivasek was born on 10 June 1919, in the city of Peru, Illinois, on the first of a 10-day stretch of 90 plus degree days. His parents, John and Mary (Setinc) Pocivasek, were immigrants from what was then Austria, hailing from the towns of Rann and Bukosek respectively—areas now part of eastern Slovenia. Albin was their second child with the first being a son named John.
The Pocivasek family’s early days in America were filled with both opportunity and hardship. Albin’s father, John, operated a soft drink parlor and provided for his family until tragedy struck. He succumbed at age 38 to pneumonia following a flu infection in January 1922, leaving Mary to raise their two sons alone. After his death Mary and her two sons moved to a home she rented at 910 Prospect street in Peru.
Growing up during the Great Depression, Albin attended school only through the ninth grade, entering the workforce at an early age to possibly support his family. By 1940, he was working at Westclox, a local clock factory, and had become the main provider for his mother and brother. Like many other young men that year, Albin registered at age 21 for the draft of 16 October 1940. Now an adult, he stood 6 feet tall weighing 172 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
In 1943, amid the throes of World War II, Albin was called to serve his country. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on 23 October 1943, and was assigned to Company E of the 120th Infantry Regiment, part of the storied 30th Infantry Division. This unit, known for its resilience and courage, would soon be tested in the fiery crucibles of war.
By the summer of 1944, PVT Pocivasek and his comrades were in France entrenched in the Battle of Mortain, tasked with defending Hill #317. On 7 August 1944, this key position came under a fierce German assault. Despite being outnumbered and undersupplied, Albin and his unit held their ground in a critical stand that lasted seven days. The determination and bravery displayed by these men were pivotal in enabling the Allied forces to continue their advance across Europe. And their efforts earned them the Presidential Unit Citation.
Tragically, the unit’s success came at a great cost. According to the Warfare History Network website, “soldiers in the 119th and 120th Regiments of the 30th Division bore the brunt of the friendly fire casualties. Sixty-four Americans were killed, 374 wounded, and 60 listed as missing.” PVT Albin Pocivasek was one of those killed in action when his life was brutally cut short on 8 August 1944, just one day into the battle.
PVT Pocivasek’s remains were temporarily interred in a cemetery in Europe and later returned to his hometown so he could be laid to rest in St. Vincent Cemetery in 1949. His grave remains a testament to the courage and sacrifice of a young man who gave everything for his country. And he was posthumously eligible for the following awards: American Campaign Medal, WW2 Victory Medal, and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal.
Today, we remember Private Albin John Pocivasek not only as a soldier who fell defending freedom but as a vibrant young man whose life, though marked by early hardship, was rich with the bonds of family and community. His story is woven into the larger tapestry of American courage and perseverance during one of the most challenging times in our history.
This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen saved on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? These stories will be accessible via smartphone app at any war memorial or cemetery.
If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please email feedback@storiesbehindthestars.org.
- SBTSProject/Illinois/LaSalle
- SBTS Historian: Pam Broviak
You can also access this story at the following sites:
Fold3 Memorial: https://www.fold3.com/memorial/664259039/pvt-albin-john-pocivasek-service-no-36693406/stories
Sources:
- 1920 U.S. Census, John Pocivasek, Ancestry.
- 1930 U.S. Census, Mary Pocivasek, Ancestry.
- 1940 U.S. Census, Mary Pocivasek, Ancestry.
- “Brežice,” Wikipedia.
- “Krstna knjiga / Taufbuch,” Brežice Parish, Signatur 200, p. 447, 1885, No. 22, Maria Setinc, Matricula Online.
- “Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940”, LaSalle County, FamilySearch, (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q28Z-WL4Q
- : 17 March 2024), Entry for John Posivoasek or Pocivavsek and Mary Setinc, 22
- Nov 1915.
- State of Illinois Certificate of Death, John Pocivasek, No. 7052, 1922. (Note there is another duplicate certificate No. 1358).
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58797683/john-pocivavsek
- “Illinois, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1998,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSMY-9XG9 : 14 January 2024), LaSalle County, Illinois.
- Past Weather, Peru, Illinois, NOAA.
- “U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947,” John Frank Pocivasek, Ancestry.
- “U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947,” Albin John Pocivasek, Ancestry.
- “30th Battle Honors,” 30th Infantry Division, Old Hickory.
- “The 30th Infantry Division’s Heroic Stand at Mortain, August 1944,” The National World War II Museum.
- “U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1861-1985, Albin J. Pocivasek, Ancestry.
- Al Hemingway. Battle of Mortain: The Big Red One’s Square-Off with German Panzers, Warfare History Network Website.
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/173237073/albin-j-pocivasek
