When Emil A. Placzek was born on March 30, 1924, in Sheridan, Wyoming, his father, Paul, was 35 and his mother, Johanna, was 20. He had one brother and two sisters. He enlisted in the Army on March 4, 1943. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a Sergeant in the 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. He died on March 20, 1945 and is now buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Southfield, Oakland County, Michigan, USA.