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Roddie Edmonds

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Righteous Among the Nations

Roddie Edmonds
Birth nameRoderick Waring Edmonds
Born(1919-08-20)August 20, 1919
South Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedAugust 8, 1985(1985-08-08) (aged 65)
Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
Buried
Berry Highland Memorial Cemetery (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Allegiance United States
BranchUnited States Army
RankMaster sergeant
Unit106th Infantry Division, 422nd Infantry Regiment
ConflictsWorld War II Korean War
Righteous
Among the Nations
By country

Roderick Waring Edmonds (August 20, 1919 – August 8, 1985),[1] known to the public as Roddie Edmonds, was a U.S. Army infantryman renowned for his courageous stand during World War II. As the highest-ranking American non-commissioned officer captured by German forces in December 1944, Edmonds was interned at Stalag IX-A,[a] a Prisoner-of-war camp in Ziegenhain, Germany. On January 27, 1945, Edmonds was ordered by German officers to identify Jewish-American soldiers for separate execution, Edmonds defiantly declared, "We are all Jews here," compelling the captors to relent and sparing the lives of approximately 200 Jewish Prisoners-of-war.[2][3]

Despite risking his own life for approximately 200 Jewish people, Edmonds' actions exemplified profound moral courage and leadership. He was posthumously recognized by Yad Vashem as "Righteous Among the Nations," becoming the first American serviceman to receive this honor.[b][c] Edmonds' actions are widely recognized as sincere, highlighting the enduring power of individual conscience in the face of structural evil.[4] Barack Obama, the forty-fourth president of the United States praised Edmonds' during a speech in 2017 at the Israeli Embassy in Washington.[5][6][7]

Early life and education

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Roderick W. "Roddie" Edmonds was born in 1919 in South Knoxville, Tennessee, and graduated from Knoxville High in 1938. Some sources, including the 1930 Federal census and the posthumous act awarding him the Congressional Gold Medal, spell his given name "Rodrick". He had three brothers: Thomas "Shake" Edmonds Jr., Leon Edmonds, and Robert Edmonds.[6][4][8] He grew up attending a Methodist church in South Knoxville.[8] He was married three times, the first two marriages ending in divorce: Marie Solomon (1942); Pauline Flora Surratt (1948); Mary Ann Watson (1953), to whom he was married at the time of his death. He had two sons: Kim Michael and Christopher W. Edmonds.[9]

Military career

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World War II

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At age 22, Edmonds enlisted in the Army on March 17, 1941, at Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia.[8]

Edmonds, along with other inexperienced troops, arrived in the European Theater of Operations in December 1944, with the 106th Infantry Division, arriving only five days before Germany launched a massive counteroffensive, the Battle of the Bulge. During the battle, on December 19, 1944, Edmonds was captured and sent to Stalag IX-B, a German prisoner-of-war (POW) camp. Shortly thereafter, he was transferred, with other enlisted personnel, to another POW camp near Ziegenhain, Germany: Stalag IX-A. As the senior noncommissioned officer at the new camp, Master Sergeant Edmonds was responsible for the camp's 1,275 American POWs.[1][3][6][4]

On their first day in Stalag IX-A, January 27, 1945—as Germany's defeat was clearly approaching—Commandant Siegmann ordered Edmonds to tell only the Jewish-American soldiers to present themselves at the next morning's assembly so they could be separated from the other prisoners.[1][3][10][6][4]

Instead, Edmonds ordered all 1,275 POWs to assemble outside their barracks. The German commandant rushed up to Edmonds in a fury, placed his pistol against Edmonds's head and demanded that he identify the Jewish soldiers under his command. Instead, Edmonds responded, "We are all Jews here," and told the commandant that if he wanted to shoot the Jews he would have to shoot all of the prisoners. He then warned the commandant that if he harmed any of Edmonds' men, the commandant would be prosecuted for war crimes after the conflict ended—since the Geneva Conventions required prisoners to give only their name, rank, and serial number; religion was not required. The commandant backed down. Edmonds' actions are credited with saving up to 300 Jewish-American soldiers from possible death.[1][3][10][6][4] After 100 days of captivity, Edmonds returned home after the war, but kept the event at the POW camp to himself.[10]

Post-war life

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Edmonds never told his family of the event at the POW camp. He was again recruited to service during the Korean War. After returning from Korea, he worked variously for The Knoxville Journal and in sales related to mobile homes and cable television.[8]

He died in 1985, never having received any official recognition, citation or medal for his defense of the Jewish POWs.[3][10][6][1][11]

Recognition and legacy

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Historical Marker, Knoxville, for Roddie Edmonds

After his death in 1985, Edmonds' wife gave his son, Chris Edmonds, several of the diaries his father had kept while in the POW camp. Chris Edmonds, a Baptist minister, began researching his story, and stumbled upon a mention of the event at the POW camp. He located several of the Jewish soldiers his father saved, who provided witness statements to Yad Vashem. Among the Jewish-American POW servicemen who were saved was Sonny Fox, an American television host and executive, who witnessed and later recounted Edmonds' actions.[1][3][10]

On 10 February 2015, Yad Vashem recognized Edmonds as "Righteous Among the Nations," Israel's highest honor for non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. The awards ceremony was held January 27, 2016, at the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., where the then-President Barack Obama praised Edmonds for action "above and beyond the call of duty," and echoed Edmonds' statement of solidarity with Jews. Chris Edmonds received the Righteous medal and certificate of honor from Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer and Yad Vashem Council Chairman Rabbi Lau on his father's behalf at the ceremony.[3][10][1][12][7][4]

"…Edmonds seemed like an ordinary American soldier, but he had an extraordinary sense of responsibility and dedication to his fellow human beings," Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev.[13]

Chris Edmonds has sought to have his father's bravery recognized with the Medal of Honor. However, the initial U.S. Army position has been that he was a captive, and therefore ineligible because his actions were not in combat.[3][6][1][14]

To overcome this obstacle, on March 23, 2016, in the U. S. House of Representatives, Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. (R-TN-2) introduced H.R. 4863, the "Roddie Edmonds Congressional Gold Medal Act" bill. The bill's original purpose was to recognize Edmonds with a Congressional Gold Medal, one of the two highest civilian awards in the United States (along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom). It was referred to the House Armed Services Committee, from where it was referred, on April 5, 2016, to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.

On February 13, 2017, in the U. S. Senate, members from Edmonds's home state of Tennessee—U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Bob Corker (R-TN), joined by Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Ben Cardin (D-MD)—introduced a bill to have Sergeant Edmonds honored with the Congressional Gold Medal.[6][7][14] The effort was renewed on April 21, 2021, with US Representative Tim Burchett (TN) introducing the "Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds Congressional Gold Medal Act". A companion bill was also introduced in the US Senate.[15]

A historical marker honoring Edmonds was placed in Knoxville, Tennessee, on November 15, 2020. It was donated by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, with support from the Knoxville Jewish Alliance.[16]

See also

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Notes and references

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Notes

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  1. ^ Not to be confused with Staglag XI-A.
  2. ^ The "Righteous Among the Nations" honor is an award presented to non-Jewish people by Israel for people like Edmonds that risked their lives to protect Jewish people during the Holocaust.
  3. ^ Edmonds is the most recent American to receive the honor, and the only one to serve as an active serviceman during World War II.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Liebermann, Oren (December 21, 2015). "'We are all Jews': World War II soldier saved POWs". CNN.
  2. ^ Bartrop, Paul R. (2017). "Roddie Edmonds". In Bartrop, Paul R.; Dickerman, Michael (eds.). The Holocaust: An Encyclopedia and Document Collection. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 181 f. ISBN 978-1-4408-4084-5. OCLC 967457463.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Julie Hirschfeld Davis, "Saying 'We Are All Jews,' Obama Honors Americans' Lifesaving Efforts in Holocaust," January 27, 2017, New York Times, retrieved April 12, 2018
  4. ^ a b c d e f "US Soldier Honored Posthumously For Protecting Jewish POWs In 1945," from "The Two-Way," December 2, 2015, National Public Radio, retrieved April 12, 2018
  5. ^ Julie Hirschfeld Davis, "Saying 'We Are All Jews,' Obama Honors Americans' Lifesaving Efforts in Holocaust," January 27, 2017, New York Times, retrieved April 12, 2018
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Collins, Michael, USA Today Network, "Knoxville soldier who defied Nazis nominated for Congressional Gold Medal," February 13, 2017, Memphis Commercial Appeal, retrieved April 12, 2018
  7. ^ a b c Associated Press (Washington, D. C.) "Soldier who defied Nazis nominated for Congressional medal," February 15, 2017, [Florida] Jewish Journal / Sun-Sentinel, retrieved April 12, 2018
  8. ^ a b c d Shearer, John (January 1, 2016). "Son shares details of dad Roddie Edmonds' life following the revelation of his WWII actions". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  9. ^ Obituary (August 9, 1985). Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Associated Press, "American WWII vet becomes first soldier honored for saving Jews," December 2, 2015, CBS News, retrieved April 12, 2018
  11. ^ Roddie Edmonds bio: "'We are all Jews',", Yad Vashem, at yadvashem.org, retrieved April 12, 2018
  12. ^ "Roddie Edmonds – The Righteous Among The Nations". Yad Vashem. Archived from the original on July 4, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  13. ^ "Press Room - www.yadvashem.org". www.yadvashem.org. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  14. ^ a b Lind, J.R. (Patch Staff), "Tennessee's Nazi-Defying Hero Soldier Nominated For Congressional Gold Medal," Feb 15, 2017 (Updated Aug 14, 2017), Nashville Patch retrieved April 14, 2018
  15. ^ "Rep. Burchett, Sen. Blackburn lead legislation to award Congressional Gold Medal to Master Sergeant Rodrick “Roddie” Edmonds", retrieved May 13, 2021
  16. ^ Tucker, Melanie (November 26, 2020). "Honoring a hero; Historical marker honors WWII soldier Edmonds who saved hundreds of lives". The Daily Times. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
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