Eddie Slovik - Context and Legacy

Context and Legacy

In militaries around the world courts-martial have imposed death sentences for offenses such as cowardice, desertion, insubordination, and mutiny. During World War I from 1917 to 1918, the United States Army executed 35 soldiers, but all were convicted of rape and/or murder of civilians and not for military offenses. During World War II in all theaters of the war, the United States military executed 102 soldiers for rape and/or murder of civilians, but only Slovik was executed for the military offense of desertion.

Colonel Robert C. Bard of the Judge Advocate General's office noted that of the 2864 Army personnel tried for desertion for the period January 1942 through June 1948, 49 were convicted and sentenced to death, and 48 of those sentences were voided by higher authority. One of the members of the tribunal now believes that Slovik's execution was an injustice in light of all the circumstances, and was an example of disparate treatment from a flawed process.

In 1960, Frank Sinatra announced his plan to produce a movie titled The Execution of Private Slovik, to be written by blacklisted Hollywood 10 screenwriter Albert Maltz. This announcement provoked great outrage, and Sinatra was accused of being a Communist sympathizer. As Sinatra was campaigning for John F. Kennedy for President, the Kennedy camp was naturally concerned, and ultimately persuaded Sinatra to cancel the project.

However, Slovik's execution was the basis for a 1954 book by William Bradford Huie. In 1974, the book was adapted for a TV movie starring Martin Sheen and also called The Execution of Private Slovik. In addition, Eisenhower's execution orders and Slovik's death by firing squad are included in a scene in the 1963 film The Victors.

Kurt Vonnegut mentions Slovik's execution in his novel Slaughterhouse-Five. Vonnegut also wrote a companion libretto to Igor Stravinsky's Histoire du soldat, or A Soldier's Tale, which tells Slovik's story. Slovik also appears in Nick Arvin's 2005 novel Articles of War, in which the fictional protagonist, Private George (Heck) Tilson, is one of the members of Slovik's firing squad. The British rock band IQ also mentioned Slovik in their song "For the Taking".