32. “I’ve Made Up My Mind. I’ll Take My Court Martial”
Slovik’s note made its way to his commander, who read it and told him to destroy it and avoid arrest. He declined. He was taken to a higher-ranking officer, who told Slovik that if he tore up the confession and returned to his unit, no further action would be taken. Immune to good advice, he refused. He was then instructed to write another note on the back of his confession, stating that he understood the legal ramifications of deliberately incriminating himself, and that his note could be used against him during a court-martial. He did, and was taken into custody.
A JAG (Judge Advocate General) officer offered Slovik a last chance, promising to drop all charges if he returned to his unit. He even offered a transfer to another infantry regiment, where no one knew what he had done, thus enabling him to start over with a clean slate. Slovik rejected the final chance to save himself, and stated: “I’ve made up my mind. I’ll take my court-martial.”
