The Military Rejected The Execution of Private Slovik
The Pentagon wanted nothing to do with the The Execution of Private Slovik, a 1974 movie that posthumously catapulted Eddie Slovik, a US Army private executed for desertion in WWII, to fame. It also made his fate, depicted in the movie as a miscarriage of justice, into a cause célèbre. To be fair, Slovik brought it upon himself. Edward Donald Slovik (1920 – 1945) was a habitual criminal. His rap sheet included assault, auto theft, and burglary, and when he tried to enlist in 1942, he was designated 4F on grounds of moral unfitness and rejected. A year later, the military felt a manpower crunch, had second thoughts, and drafted Slovik. He was sent to France in August, 1944, and assigned to the 28th Infantry Division. En route, he happened upon a Canadian military police unit, and stayed with them for six weeks.
Slovik finally reported to his unit on October 7th, 1944. He asked his company commander for reassignment to a rear echelon unit, and threatened to run away if assigned to a combat outfit. The request was denied, and he was assigned to a rifle platoon. The next day, Slovik deserted. He walked several miles towards the rear until he reached a headquarters detachment. There, he handed them a prepared note, which read: “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 in France. I came to Albuff as a replacement. They were shelling the town and we were told to dig in for the night. The following morning they were shelling us again. I was so scared, nerves and trembling, that at the time the other replacements moved out, I couldn’t move“.
