You know that wooden hammer a judge slams down on his desk when he’s trying to bring order to the court? That’s a gavel. Judges aren’t the only ones who use gavels. They are common in governments large and small, where they are used to bring order to the often unruly rooms where government happens.

The presiding judge makes use of the gavel in bringing attention back to the bench when attorneys, witnesses, jurors and even the audience strays outside the decorum of the trial proceedings. It is used very often in bring order to the court for the first time – as in “attention, these proceedings are in order”.

But gavels haven’t disappeared entirely from courtrooms in Washington. A crack of the gavel sounds the entrance of the justices of the Supreme Court for each session of the nation’s highest tribunal, and there’s no talk of changing that tradition.

commanding attention

the pledge to the flags

: extending from the beginning to the end of a meeting or session gavel-to-gavel television coverage.

The gavel is a symbol of authority, to be used to keep orderly procedure. One tap of the gavel follows the announcement of adjournment, the completion of a business item or is a message to members to be seated following the opening ceremony. Two taps of the gavel calls the meeting room to order.

Gavel. Another name for the auctioneer’s hammer used to close the bidding.

Auctioneer: The person whom the seller engages to direct, conduct, or be responsible for a sale by auction. This person may or may not actually “call” or “cry” the auction.

Reserve: The agreed price, below which the auctioneer will not sell the lot. Some vendors agree to sell at “the auctioneer’s discretion” when it is difficult to set a reserve. The risk for the vendor is that the lot may sell below its true market value.

UCMJ Desertion A charge of desertion can actually result in the death penalty, which is the maximum punishment during “time of war.” However, since the Civil War, only one American servicemember has ever been executed for desertion: Private Eddie Slovik in 1945.

Desertion in the heat of battle for the U.S. military forces. Under the punitive articles of the UCMJ. The punishment can vary depending on the totality of circumstances. The problem with punishing someone, because he ‘ran away’ is that you have to prove that the person acted ‘cowardly’.

There is no way to simply quit the military once you are on active duty. You are contractually, and perhaps morally, obligated to see your commitment through. However, you could be discharged from duty early if you are physically or psychologically unable to perform your duties.

AWOL and Desertion charges are not uncommon in the military with the Army accumulating anywhere between 2,500 and 4,000 annually.

First World War “306 British and Commonwealth soldiers were executed for…desertion during World War I,” records the Shot at Dawn Memorial. Of these, 25 were Canadian, 22 Irishmen and five New Zealanders. Only 3,000 of those men were ordered to be put to death and of those just over 10% were executed.”

Unauthorized Absence (UA), Absent Without Leave (AWOL), or Desertion. If a Servicemember is AWOL from the military, he or she usually is aware of their status, that he or she has committed a criminal offense, and that he or she is now subject to arrest and Court Martial.

While in World War One German military courts imposed 150 death sentences, in World War Two there were 35,000; an estimated 22,000 to 25,000 soldiers were executed. While only eighteen German soldiers were executed for desertion in World War One, around 18,000 suffered this fate in World War Two.

At least 15,000 German soldiers were executed for desertion alone, and up to 50,000 were killed for often minor acts of insubordination. An unknown number were summarily executed, often in the moment, by their officers or comrades when they refused to follow commands. This wasn’t always the case.

After World War II, German prisoners were taken back to Europe as part of a reparations agreement. They were forced into harsh labor camps. Many prisoners did make it home in 18 to 24 months, Lazarus said. But Russian camps were among the most brutal, and some of their German POWs didn’t return home until 1953.

Reginald Earnshaw