Officially what is the US military punishment for desertion in war time and when was the last time and on who was this punishment carried out?

zbeckabee

In the United States, before the Civil War, deserters from the Army were flogged, while after 1861 tattoos or branding were also adopted. The maximum U.S. penalty for desertion in wartime remains death, although this punishment was last applied to Eddie Slovik in 1945. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desertion Nov 16 07, 5:50 PM

robboy

Specificically, as I read the question to mean current punishment, the maximum is indeed death, but the military court may sentence the deserter to other punishments as it sees fit. These include, but aren't limited to, dishonorable discharge, hard labor imprisonment, and any or all of the sentencing available for times other than war. http://usmilitary.about.com/od/punitivearticles/a/mcm85_3.htm Eddie Slovik was the first person executed for desertion since the Civil War (and to date, the last), however others have been executed for crimes that warrant the punishment. "The last military execution for any crime took place in 1961, when Army Pvt. John Bennett was hanged after being convicted of rape and attempted murder in Germany. Officials say six inmates are currently on death row at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., but none were deserters." http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/11/military_desertions_071115w/ Nov 16 07, 8:16 PM