Friday, November 25, 2016

American "We Are All Jews Here" Soldier To Be Posthumously Honoured

Good. About time. 

"An American POW who protected 200 American-Jewish POWs during World War II will be posthumously awarded by the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous."
"The foundation will bestow its Yehi Ohr Award on Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds, who refused to reveal to a German commandant during World War II which troops under his command were Jewish while being held at the Stalag IXA POW camp. The award ceremony will take place on Nov. 28 at the New York Public Library. His son, Pastor Chris Edmonds, will accept the award."

"Edmonds was captured during the Battle of the Bulge by the German army on December 19, 1944. As the highest ranking officer in the POW camp, Edmonds was responsible for the camp’s 1,292 American POWs. The camp’s commandant ordered Edmonds to identify the Jewish soldiers in order to separate them from the other prisoners. Instead, Edmonds refused, and when the German commandant placed his pistol against Edmonds’ head, demanding that he identify the Jewish soldiers, Edmonds responded “We are all Jews here,” refusing to identify the Jewish soldiers, thereby saving their lives"