Roddie Edmonds

MSG Roddie Edmonds served in WWII in the 422nd Regiment 106th division. He was captured during the battle of the bulge and taken to Stalag 9A. While in Stalag 9A Roddie was the highest ranking officer so he was in charge of the American POWs. At one point he was asked at gun point to identify the Jewish American soldiers so they could be separated from the camp and sent to slave labor camps. Most of the Jews sent to these camps did not survive. Roddie proudly told the German Commandant that under the Geneva Convention he was only required to give the name, rank, and serial number of each of his soldiers. He refused to give up any of his men and had 1,200 plus soldiers fall out that morning to say they were all Jews. In taking this stand and following the principles he lived by approximately 200 Jewish American POWs were saved from certain death.