Eddie Slovik
2/18/1920 - 1/31/1945
Aquarius
Last Words
"They're not shooting me for deserting the United States Army, thousands of guys have done that. They just need to make an example out of somebody and I'm it because I'm an ex-con. I used to steal things when I was a kid, and that's what they are shooting me for. They're shooting me for the bread and chewing gum I stole when I was 12 years old."
Death & Legacy
Eddie Slovik, the only American soldier shot for desertion during World War II, was executed by an Army firing squad in France on Jan. 31, 1945. His death, after a court‐martial, was the first for desertion since the Civil War and followed his declaration, in a signed statement, that “I'll run away again if I have to go out there.
Details
- Cause of Death
- Execution by firing squad
- Age at Death
- 24 years
- Funeral Location
- Detroit, Michigan, USA
- Final Resting Place
- Detroit, Michigan, United States