Soldier's remains return home after 84 years

CPL George Francis Sepsey was returned to Michigan June 5, after being shot down in the jungles of New Guinea.

He was born on June 18, 1918 in Chicago, the son of Austrian-Hungarian immigrants, Theresa and Jospeh Sepsey. George came to Croswell with his parents when he was one year old. Better known among his friends as “Judd”, he was prominent in Croswell High School athletics, playing basketball, football and baseball. He was one of the most popular and promising young men in Croswell. He was a member of the graduating Class of 1936.

In 1941, George enlisted in the Army National Guard. Joining Company M, 3rd Battalion, 126th Infantry Regiment of the 32nd “Red Arrow” Division, composed mostly of Michigan and Wisconsin men. The unit trained at Camp Livingston, Louisianna and shipped out to Australia in April of 1942.

On September 29th of that year they were deployed to Port Moresby, New Guinea. By November, Sepsey and his comrades were deep in rugged jungle. They were not trained for jungle warfare and were under supplied and poorly equipped.

George was assigned as a machine gun team leader. George’s team took part in the fierce fighting at the junction of the Sanananda Track and Killerton Trail near Soputa. The Japanese had constructed a roadblock and were well entrenched.

On November 26, 1942, during an assault on the roadblock, George was fatally wounded while leading his men. He was 24 years old. Cpl Sepsey was the second Sanilac County man reported killed in action and the first from Croswell.

Georges remains were initially buried in Papua, New Guinea as an Unknown. In the following years he was exhumed and transferred to the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medals.

In 2017, the Defense POW MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) exhumed unknown remains from Manila and transferred them for scientific analysis. Based on DNA testing, in April of 2025 they confirmed George's identity.