Eddie Slovik | |
---|---|
Born | Edward Donald Slovik February 18, 1920 Detroit, Michigan, United States |
Died | January 31, 1945 | (aged 24)
Cause of death | Execution by firing squad |
Criminal status | Executed |
Conviction(s) | Desertion |
Criminal penalty | Death |
Military career | |
Nickname(s) | "Eddie" |
Allegiance | United States |
Service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1944–1945 |
Rank | Private |
Service number | 36896415 |
Unit | Company G, 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division |
Battles / wars | World 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]
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