Marcel Poelker
| Date and Place of Birth: | August 26, 1928 St. Louis, MO |
| Date and Place of Death: | September 25, 1951 Korea |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | Second Base |
| Rank: | Sergeant |
| Military Unit: | Company C, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division US Army |
| Area Served: | Korea |
Marcel C. Poelker was born on August 26, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri.
The son of Mr. and Mrs. Alphonse Poelker, Marcel attended Roosevelt High
School in St. Louis.
Poelker graduated from high school in 1946 and signed with the Bristol
Twins of the Class D Appalachian League in 1947. The 6-foot, 160-pound
left-handed-hitting second baseman played just 10 games with the Twins
and was hitting .115 (3 for 26) when he was released to the Fort Smith
Giants of the Class C Western Association. Appearing in 19 games for the
Giants, Poelker hit .145 and finished the year with the Lawton Giants of
the Class D Sooner State League, where he batted .193 in 30 games.
Despite his weak hitting, Poelker was an excellent defensive infielder
and the 19-year-old played 133 games with Lawton in 1948, batting .210,
as the club finished in second place. In 1949, Poelker was batting .160
over 21 games with Lawton before being optioned to the Belleville Stags
of the Class D Mississippi-Ohio Valley League. Poelker batted .245 with
the Stags in 103 games and hit two home runs.
In 1950, the 21-year-old infielder was with the Sanford Giants of the
Class D Florida State League and batted a career-high .271 in 139 games.
After four seasons of minor league baseball, Poelker appeared to have
found his groove but military service was on the horizon and he was
inducted in the Army in December 1950. He was carried on the National
Defense Service List of the Muskogee Reds of the Class C Western
Association at the time.
Marcel Poelker attained the rank of sergeant and served in Korea as a
Light Weapons Assault Infantryman with Company C of the 23rd Infantry
Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was killed in action September 25,
1951, aged 23, during the ill conceived attempts to overrun North Korean
positions at the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge. Allied forces (American and
French) suffered 3,700 casualties during the battle.
Marcel Poelker is buried at Resurrection Cemetery in Affton, Missouri.
Photo Source: 1946 Roosevelt High School (St. Louis, MO) Bwana Yearbook (Thanks to Mark Haubenstein for locating this photo)
Date Added April 30, 2012 Updated May 28, 2012
Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice is associated with Baseball Almanac
Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice is proud to be sponsored by
