Desertion
Desertion is a military word which means a soldier has left his position without permission. The soldier does not plan on returning. The term Absence Without Leave (AWOL) can also be used, but is usually used where the soldier does intend to return. Usually a soldier who has been AWOL for more than 30 days is listed as a deserter. Deserting is treated as a serious offense; military law usually provides for the death penalty. The last United States soldier executed for desertion was Eddie Slovik in 1945.[1] No U.S. soldier has been given more than 18 months in prison for desertion during the Iraq War.[2]
Desertion Media
The Defector, by Octav Băncilă, 1906
Deserteur (Дезертир), by Ilya Repin, 1917
Armenian soldiers in 1919, with deserters as prisoners
"Convoy of Deserters - Paris" in the book "Cassell's History of the War between France and Germany. 1870–1871"
German street posters in Danzig as the Red Army approached in February 1945, warning soldiers that escaping with civilians will be treated as desertion.
Deserters from the Portuguese Army during the Portuguese Colonial War in Africa, Amsterdam, 1969
A United States wartime poster deprecating absence
The execution of a U.S. deserter in the Federal Camp, Alexandria
The Intrepid Four, four U.S. Navy seamen who deserted from the USS Intrepid in protest against the war in Vietnam.
References
- ↑ "Eddie Slovik". jewishvirtuallibrary.org. 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
- ↑ "On Watch "AWOL in the Army, version 2.0", James M. Branum and updated by and Susan Bassein" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
Other websites
- Missing movement Archived 2015-12-31 at the Wayback Machine from About.com
- Memorial to German World War II deserters in Ulm, Germany at the Sites of Memory webpage
- Memorial to all deserters in Stuttgart, Germany at the Sites of Memory webpage
- AWOL Information Archived 2015-04-06 at the Wayback Machine
