What was the name of that WWII deserter who was executed? His name was something like “Private Slovak,” but my web searches only return things about Slovakia. Any help?
eddie?
Slovik, with an I. Eddie Slovik.
There was a man in the 28th that went A.W.O.L. at St. Lô. Different units tried to get him to go back to no avail. He could of went without penalty, but nothing doing. They caught up with him and shot him at the stake. His name was Eddie Slovak. As far as I know he was the only man shot for cowardice.
from here
Much thanks.
Here is a site on Eddie Slovik. http://detnews.com/history/eddie/eddie.htm
The site is sympathetic to Slovik and his execution was, and is to some extent, controversial. Without knowing all the evidence it is hard to judge, but of approximately 21000 convicted deserters, he was the only one executed.
The problem with Eddie Slovik is that he wouldn’t defend himself. He’d deserted repeatedly, sometimes with great creativity. In one instance, he attached himself to another infantry unit as their camp servant, making himself useful in numorous ways while they protected him. It didn’t work for very long, and the MPs caught up to him again.
At about this time, there was a fairly serious issue with desertion and slacking in the American Army in Europe, the general belief being that you wouldn’t actually get shot, you’d just pull some years in prison, and be released at the end of the war. The Generals had to Do Something, and that “something” was to make an example of someone. Eddie flat-out told his Court Martial pannel that he wouldn’t take amnesty and return to the line, and if forcibly returned to the line, that he’d simply desert in the face of the enemy yet again. He begged for non-combat duty anywhere, but swore that he’d never stay in the line of combat. This defiance to the Court sealed his fate, and he became The Example.
The sad part about this is, early in the war, he’d been ruled medically unacceptable for military service, and was only inducted after mounting casualties caused the standards to be lowered.
Eddie was a self-avowed coward, and his willingness to insist on this to his Court Martial got him dead. RIP, Eddie.