Eddie Slovik

Eddie Slovik
Born
Edward Donald Slovik

(1920-02-18)February 18, 1920
Detroit, Michigan, United States
DiedJanuary 31, 1945(1945-01-31) (aged 24)
Cause of deathExecution by firing squad
Criminal statusExecuted
Conviction(s)Desertion
Criminal penaltyDeath
Military career
Nickname(s)"Eddie"
Allegiance United States
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service1944–1945
RankPrivate
Service number36896415
UnitCompany G, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division
Battles / warsWorld War II
Spouse(s)
Antoinette Wisniewski
(m. 1942⁠–⁠1945)

Edward Donald Slovik (February 18, 1920 – January 31, 1945) was a United States Army soldier during World War II and the only American soldier to be court-martialled and executed for desertion since the American Civil War.[1][2] Although over 21,000 American soldiers were given varying sentences for desertion during World War II, including 49 death sentences, Slovik's death sentence was the only one that was carried out.[1][3][4]

During World War II, 1.7 million courts-martial were held, representing one third of all criminal cases tried in the United States during the same period. Most of the cases were minor, as were the sentences.[2] Nevertheless, a clemency board, appointed by Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson in the summer of 1945, reviewed all general courts-martial where the accused was still in confinement,[2][5] and remitted or reduced the sentence in 85 percent of the 27,000 serious cases reviewed.[2] The death penalty was rarely imposed, and usually only for cases involving rape or murder. Slovik was the only soldier executed who had been convicted of a "purely military" offense.[2]

  1. ^ a b Simmons, Zena (August 25, 1999). "The Execution of Pvt. Eddie Slovik". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e The Execution of Private Slovik. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. 1993. ISBN 978-0899418452. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved April 20, 2011. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  3. ^ ExecutedToday.com (January 31, 2009). "1945: Private Eddie Slovik, the last American shot for desertion". executedtoday.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kimmelman was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Courts of Appeal, Army Style". Milwaukee Journal. December 23, 1945. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2011.