Eddie Slovik

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.

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.

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.

Slovik was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1920 to a Catholic, Polish-American family, the son of Anna Lutsky and Josef Slowikowski.

As a minor, he was a troublemaker and had contact with the police frequently.

Slovik was first arrested at age 12 when he and some friends broke into a foundry to steal brass.

On August 24, he was one of 129 replacements assigned to the 28th Infantry Division.

From 1932 to 1937, he was arrested several times for offenses which included petty theft, breaking and entering, and disturbing the peace.

In October 1937, he was sent to prison, but was paroled in September 1938.

After stealing and crashing a car with two friends while drunk, he was sent back to prison in January 1939.

In April 1942, Slovik was paroled once more.

He then obtained a job at Montella Plumbing and Heating in Dearborn, Michigan.

While working there, he met the woman who became his wife, Antoinette Wisniewski.

She was working as a bookkeeper for Montella Plumbing's owner, James Montella.

They married on November 7, 1942, and lived with her parents.

Slovik's criminal record classified him as morally unfit for duty in the U.S. military (4-F), but, shortly after the couple's first wedding anniversary, Slovik was reclassified as fit for duty (1-A) and subsequently drafted by the Army on January 3, 1944, from Detroit, Michigan.

Slovik arrived at Camp Wolters, Texas for basic training on January 24, 1944, and was assigned to Company D of the 59th Infantry Training Battalion on January 31, 1944.

On July 11, 1944, he was assigned to Ground Forces Replacement Depot No. 1 at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland.

In August, he was dispatched to join the fighting in German-occupied France, and was assigned to the 3rd Replacement Depot.

He stayed in the division rear area overnight, before being assigned along with fifteen other men to Company G, 109th Infantry Regiment on August 25, 1944.

While en route to his assigned unit near Elbeuf, France, Slovik and Private John Tankey, a friend he met at Fort Meade, took cover during an artillery attack during the night and became separated from Company G. Company G moved on the next morning, inadvertently leaving Slovik and Tankey behind.

Slovik and Tankey found a Canadian military police unit had occupied the town, and remained with them for the next six weeks.

Tankey wrote to their regiment to explain their absence before the Canadians made arrangements for them to return to duty with their unit on October 7, 1944.

The following day, October 8, Slovik informed his company commander, Captain Ralph Grotte, that he was "too scared" to serve in a front-line rifle company and asked to be reassigned to a unit in a rear area.

He then told Grotte that he would run away if he were assigned to a rifle unit, and asked his captain if that would constitute desertion, resulting in a court-martial.

Grotte confirmed that it would, refused Slovik's request for reassignment, and sent him to a rifle platoon.

The next day, October 9, Slovik deserted from his unit.

John Tankey caught up with him and attempted to persuade him to stay, but Slovik's only comment was that his "mind was made up".

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, and remitted or reduced the sentence in 85 percent of the 27,000 serious cases reviewed.

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.

Slovik walked several miles to the rear and approached an enlisted cook at a military government detachment of the 112th Infantry Regiment, presenting him with a note which stated:

"I, Pvt. Eddie D. Slovik, 36896415, confess to the desertion of the United States Army. At the time of my desertion we were in Albuff [sic; 'Elbeuf'] in France. I came to Albuff as a replacement. They were shilling [sic; 'shelling'] the town and we were told to dig in for the night. The following morning they were shilling us again. I was so scared[,] nerves [sic; 'nervous'] and trembling that at the time the other replacements moved out I couldn't move. I stayed their [sic; 'there'] in my fox hole till it was quite [sic; 'quiet'] and I was able to move. I then walked into town. Not seeing any of our troops so I stayed over night at a French hospital. The next morning I turned myself over to the Canadian Provost Corp [sic; 'Corps']. After being with them six weeks I was turned over to American M.R[.] [sic; 'military police'] They turned me lose [sic; loose]. I told my commanding officer my story.

I said that if I had to go out their [sic; there] again Id [sic; 'I'd'] run away.

He said there was nothing he could do for me so I ran away again AND I'LL RUN AWAY AGAIN IF I HAVE TO GO OUT THEIR[sic; 'THERE']."

The cook took Slovik to a military policeman, then to his company commander, who read the note and urged Slovik to destroy it before he was taken into custody.

Slovik refused.

He was brought before Lieutenant Colonel Ross Henbest, who again offered him the opportunity to tear up the note, return to his unit, and face no further charges; Slovik again refused.

Henbest instructed Slovik to write another note on the back of the first one stating that he fully understood the consequences of deliberately incriminating himself, and that it would be used as evidence against him in a court-martial.