Roddie Edmonds

Roderick Waring Edmonds (August 20, 1919 – August 8, 1985), 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 prisoner-of-war camp in Ziegenhain, Germany. On January 27, 1945, Edmonds refused an order by German officers to identify Jewish-American soldiers, possibly for separate execution, instead defiantly declaring that "We are all Jews here." The captors relented, sparing the lives of up to 300 Jewish-American prisoners of war.

In risking his own life to save his Jewish comrades, Edmonds' actions exemplified profound moral courage and leadership. He was posthumously recognized by Yad Vashem as "Righteous Among the Nations," the only American serviceman to receive this honor. Edmonds' actions are widely recognized as sincere, highlighting the enduring power of individual conscience in the face of structural evil. President Obama praised Edmonds during a speech in 2016 at the Israeli Embassy in Washington.

Early life and education

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. He grew up attending a Methodist church in South Knoxville. 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.