Roddie Edmonds

World War II

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, where much of the division was overrun, 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 highest ranking soldier at the new camp, Master Sergeant Edmonds was in command, responsible for the camp's 1,275 American POWs.^[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.^[11] 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]

Patches

Medal of Honor citation

Edmonds' Medal of Honor citation reads:

Rank and organization: Master Sergeant, U.S. Army. Place and date: Ziegenhain, Germany, January 27, 1945 to March 30, 1945.

Citation:

Master Sergeant Roderick W. Edmonds distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty from January 27, 1945, to March 30, 1945, as a prisoner of war in Germany, while assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 422d Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division. Upon arrival at Stalag IXA in Ziegenhain, Germany, he was soon put to the test as Senior Non-Commissioned Officer. On the evening of January 26, 1945, the Germans announced that only Jewish-American prisoners would fall out for roll call the following morning, at the threat of execution. Master Sergeant Edmonds quickly understood that segregating more than 200 Jewish-American prisoners of war would likely result in their persecution and possible death, so he directed his senior leaders to have all 1,200 American prisoners present themselves for roll call. The following morning, the Nazi Commandant became incredulous after realizing that so many Americans were standing in formation. Master Sergeant Edmonds bravely resisted his fury, while also recounting the rights afforded to all prisoners under the Geneva Convention. Still enraged, the Commandant removed his pistol, pressed it hard against Master Sergeant Edmonds’ forehead between his eyes and demanded that he order all Jewish-American prisoners to step forward, or he would be shot. With unwavering courage at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, Master Sergeant Edmonds fearlessly held his ground, refusing to concede and verbally warned the Commandant that if he executed him, he would be prosecuted for war crimes once the war was over. Finally, the Commandant, who was visibly reddened with anger, lowered his weapon and returned to his office without further attempts to segregate the Jewish-American prisoners. Master Sergeant Edmonds’ actions inspired his fellow prisoners of war. Several weeks later, in March 1945, as Allied forces were rapidly advancing toward the area, the Germans ordered all prisoners to assemble outside the barracks for evacuation farther east to another camp. Fully intending to undermine his enemy captors, Master Sergeant Edmonds ordered all American prisoners to form in front of the barracks, and when the enemy transports arrived, they would break ranks and rush back to their barracks. Without regard for his own life Master Sergeant Edmonds gallantly led these prisoners in a relentless pursuit of opposition and resistance, forcing the Germans to abandon the camp leaving the 1,200 American prisoners behind. The full extent of his bravery, unbending will, and courageous leadership would be realized when soldiers from 3d U.S. Army liberated the camp on March 30, 1945. Master Sergeant Edmonds’ conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.^[20]