Dwight David Eisenhower (1890 - 1969), US general and 34th president of the United States (1953 - 1961): commander of Allied forces in Europe (1943 - 1945; 1951 - 1952). In France on 31 January 1945, Private Eddie Slovik was shot by a firing squad for desertion. He was the first American to be executed for desertion since the Civil War. —SHSBC Binder 16 Approved Glossary