36. The Hell Raiser
Edward Donald Slovik (1920 – 1945) was a delinquent and troublemaker from early on. Fighting, stealing cars, breaking into and burglarizing homes, were among the list of crimes he did, and did time for. Indeed, his record was so bad that when he tried to enlist in the Army in 1942, he was designated 4F on grounds of being morally unfit for service in the military, and rejected.
A year later, by which time Slovik had gotten married, the military felt a manpower crunch and had second thoughts. Slovik was reclassified as fit for service, and drafted. After basic training, he was sent to France in August of 1944, and assigned to Company G of the 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division. En route to his unit, Slovik happened upon a Canadian military police unit, and ended up staying with them for six weeks.