--- title: "This cemetery is the final resting place for the Army’s ‘dishonorable dead’" description: "The graves of World War II's dishonorable dead remain unmarked, unmapped, and far from the honorable dead." date: "2021-07-25" modified: "2026-06-10" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/last-resting-place-armys-dishonorable-dead/" categories: - "History" - "Wars" - "World War II" tags: - "Crime" - "World War II" --- # This cemetery is the final resting place for the Army’s ‘dishonorable dead’ ![armys dishonorable dead plot e oise aines american cemetery]() *Plot E, Oise Aisne American Cemetery, where World War II's dishonorable dead are interred.(Timothy O'Connor)* In a small area of Northern France, in a town called Seringes-et-Nesles, is a cemetery filled with soldiers who died fighting to keep France from falling to the Kaiser's Germany during World War I. The cemetery, Oise-Aisne American Cemetery, holds the remains of 6,012 soldiers in plots A-D, some unidentified, as well as a memorial to the almost 300 who went missing and were never found. **Also Read: [The Civil War created the modern American funeral industry]()** There are many interesting side stories about this cemetery. Famous poet Joyce Kilmer is buried here. The tombs of the unknown are marked with the same epitaph as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. The most infamous stories, however, lie in plot E. ![ Army's dishonorable dead Oise-Aisne American Cemetery]() *The Oise-Aisne American Cemetery gates. (Victor Grigas)* Officially Plot E does not exist. The 100-by-54 foot oval does not appear on maps, pamphlets, or on any websites. It holds 96 white markers the size of index cards, carrying only a small ID number litter the ground in Plot E, overlooked by a single granite cross. No U.S. flag [is allowed to fly over it](). The bodies are interred with their backs to the four plots across the street. Plot E now contains the remains of 94 bodies. Across the street, unmarked, surrounded by thick shrubs and undergrowth, and accessible only through the supervisor's office, the infamous fifth plot inters the so-called dishonorable dead, Americans dishonorably discharged by the U.S. Army before being executed for crimes such as rape and murder, during or shortly after World War II. ![dishonorable dead index card plot e]() With the exception of the famous deserter Eddie Slovik (who was buried here after becoming the first soldier since the Civil War to be tried and executed for desertion—his remains have since been repatriated), each criminal faced the firing squad or the hangman's rope. In total, the dishonorable dead were executed for the collective murder of 26 fellow American soldiers, as well as the rape and/or murder of 71 British, French, German, Italian, Polish and Algerian civilians (both male and female). British murder victim Elizabeth Green (age 15) was raped and strangled by Cpl. Ernest Lee Clarke (Grave 68) and Pvt. Augustine M. Guerra (Grave 44). Louis Till (Grave 73), the father of American [Civil Rights Icon Emmett Till](), was hanged for his part in the murder of an Italian woman in 1944. Sir Eric Teichman was shot in the head by George E. Smith (Grave 52) in December 1944 after Smith was found poaching on his estate. Smith was hanged on V-E Day. The Army executed a total of 98 servicemen for these kinds of crimes during World War II. While they were originally buried near the site of their execution, in 1949 they were all reinterred to where they are today: a small plot of land away from those who died fighting to liberate Europe. ### Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty **• [The only 4 inmates on the US military’s death row]()** **• [UCMJ: A complete guide to your least favorite four-letter word]()** **• [‘Nuremberg’ pits a notorious Nazi war criminal against a US Army psychiatrist]()** ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()