The Execution of Private Slovik by Dell Pub Co

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The Execution of Private Slovik by Dell Pub Co An Interesting Yet Tragic Story
When I was reading this book, I could not stop reading it and never got bored reading it. Here is a tragic story of a young American man, Eddie D. Slovik, who had straightened out his life, after a life of spending approximately a total of 5 years in reformatories and jails for petty crimes and thefts, then found a steady job during World War II on the home front, and married a strong woman, whom he loved very dearly. Then, his promising life as a truly reformed ex-convict with a potentially bright future was abruptly disrupted and ended, when he was drafted into the Army as a "replacement private" to fight in the final bloody stages of World War II. It was the first tragedy in Private Slovik's short life for this to happen to him, as he went from being classified by his local Draft Board from 4-F (not fit for military service and when the US Military did not want any part of him) to 1-A (immediately available for military service). His promising life truly was wasted and went up in smoke. The second tragedy in Private Slovik's life is when he was the only soldier in World War II to be executed for desertion, since the U.S. Civil War in the 1860's. Despite desertion during time of war is very wrong and a very serious offense, and in my opinion should be severely punished, it was unfair to single him out for execution. "Although over twenty-one thousand soldiers were given varying sentences for desertion during World War II--including forty-nine death sentences--only Slovik's death sentence was carried out." (Source/Cited from Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Slovik). Private Slovik should have of course been tried by General Court Cartial, then given a sentence of prison or should NOT have had his execution actually carried out. Thus, he would have been given a new start and a second chance in life in Post-World War II America. This is among one of the worst injustices carried out during the final stages of this war. This book is definitely a must read for those who are interested in military history and/or studying the history of World War II. I highly recommend this book, both for the study of history and an as an excellent novel, good for both serious study and for recreational reading.
The Execution of Private Slovik by Dell Pub Co Typical "Blame the World" for everyting tripe
Slovik got what he deserved. He did not give a rip about his fellow soldiers. He was a deserter and a traitor. A perfect example of why capital punishment is a good thing.
The Execution of Private Slovik by Dell Pub Co Well Written
"The Execution of Private Slovik" tells the story of the only American soldier since the Civil War who was executed by firing squad for desertion. Eddie Slovik was one of literally thousands of documented deserters during WWII who were court-martialled. Of these thousands, forty-nine were sentenced to death, but only Slovik's sentence was carried out. So the author's central question is, why was Slovik the ONLY one? We see Eddie Slovik as a youth who, in the modern vernacular, was "at risk" due to some minor scrapes with the law as a teenager. We then see him as a somewhat self-absorbed adult who never thought he would be caught up in the wartime draft and was resentful that he was forced to leave his new wife and new furniture. Once shipped overseas and assigned to a unit, Slovik apparantly intentionally deserts, calculating that he would be thrown into the stockade only for a few years and eventually set free during the euphoria brought on by the war's end. A huge miscalculation. The author makes a compelling argument that the wartime Army's senior leaders found it easier to execute a deserter "with a civilian record", even though such information was not supposed to be material to court-martial sentences, and the "record" amounted to nothing more than some petty crime when Slovik was a minor. This book was written in 1954, when it could not have been fashionable to write an investigative piece portraying then-President Eisenhower in a somewhat less-than-flattering light (Eisenhower, as Supreme Allied Commander, ORDERED Slovik shot--very different from declining to intervene). Huie is to be commended for this courageous and thoughtfully-written book.
The Execution of Private Slovik by Dell Pub Co Very interesting book
The Execution of Private Slovik reads somewhat like a college term paper but because of the gripping subject it maintains the reader's interest. Thoroughly documented and cited, the author goes to great pains to challenge the reader to question why this event occurred. The author's question centers on whether Eddie was accurate in his belief that he was really being punished for the petty crimes of his youth. Great book for WWII buffs as well as people interested in Death Penalty issue.
The Execution of Private Slovik by Dell Pub Co A Slanted "Truth"
Is this book worth reading? Yes, but...the reader should be aware that the writer does seem to have a biased view of his subject. While Pvt. Slovik does seem to be a scapecoat for other deserters, at the same time, I doubt that others flaunted their refusal to obey orders as blatantly as he did. My father also served in the 28th Division, 109th Infantry Regiment and was undoubtedly as afraid as Pvt. Slovik. War is truly hell and I'm sure that he wanted to be anywhere but where he was, but he realized his duty to help eradicate the greatest evil of the 20th century. Thank God for the men (and women) of his generation! Were it not for them, we would not be free to live as we do today! After reviewing Pvt. Slovik's history, it would seem that his desertion was yet one more event in a life lived as a sociopath. As such, he had no redeeming value to consider nor should he have expected mercy. I reserve my tears for the thousands of soldiers who deserve them...those who gave their lives so we might live ours.
The Execution of Private Slovik by Dell Pub Co Book Description
In late August 1944, a drab convoy of raw recruits destined to join elements of the decimated 28th Division lumbered along a windy French road strewn with dead animals, shattered bodies, and burning equipment. The invasion of Europe was in full swing, with German forces hastily retreating in face of the Allied assault. Throughout 1944, with mounting casualties worldwide, the United States draft dug deeper for infantrymen, including those who were previously considered unfit for service. One of those draftees traveling through the carnage in the French countryside was 24-year-old Eddie Slovik, a petty thief from Detroit who had spent his youth in and out of reform schools. Eddie’s luck had recently changed, however, with a steady factory job and marriage to Antoinette, a beautiful girl who gave Eddie hope and security for the first time in his life. But their honeymoon—like that of many other newlyweds during World War II—was interrupted by the call to service... Coming under intense artillery fire, the troops were ordered to jump and dig foxholes. In the morning, Eddie Slovik and a friend found themselves alone. Separated from his unit, Slovik joined a Canadian outfit and traveled with them for six weeks, cooking and cleaning for them, before finally reporting to the 28th Division. He carried a rifle but no ammunition. He was assigned to a platoon but walked away. Refusing to fight, Slovik was arrested, court martialed, and condemned to death. Hundreds of soldiers were tried for desertion during World War II and sentenced to die, but only Eddie Slovik paid the price, supposedly as a deterrent, yet word of the nature of his death was never officially released. In The Execution of Private Slovik, considered to be among the best investigative books ever written, William Bradford Huie reconstructs this entire story in order to find out what made Eddie Slovik an unlikely pacifist and why the U.S. Army decided to cover up the affair. With the full cooperation of the Department of the Army, including the officers in charge of the court martial, and through interviews of persons who knew Slovik and the hundreds of letters that he sent to his wife, Huie reveals how Slovik’s case reached General Eisenhower at the moment when American troops were reeling from a sudden massive German counterattack that jeopardized their hard won advances. Slovik seemed resigned to his fate and, despite a written plea for clemency, Eisenhower approved the sentence. In Eddie Slovik, the author finds a hard luck depression era boy, good natured, poorly educated, who when faced with the reality of war realized that he simply could not kill another human being. M! ilitary justice was carried out and those involved remain steadfast in their belief that the right thing was done, but Huie shows that, in death, Eddie Slovik has much more to tell Americans about life and duty to one’s country.