Thread by @18airbornecorps

1 of 15: WE ARE ALL JEWS: THE STORY OF RODDIE EDMONDS

One of the most moving and relevant stories of the Battle of the Bulge is that of Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds, a Knoxville, Tennessee native, who served with the 106th Infantry Division.

2 of 15:: Roddie was captured early on in the fighting, Dec 19, when Panzer forces plowed through the 106th (remember, 2 of the 3 regiments of the 106th were overrun early on). He, and almost his entire regiment, the 422nd, were forced to surrender.

3 of 15: The men were transported to the Stalag IX-A POW camp in Ziegenhain, Germany.

Roddie was the senior American non-commissioned officer of the Americans at the site.

4 of 15: In late January, the camp’s commandant, Major Siegmann, ordered Roddie, a Christian, to identify all Jewish Soldiers and hold them in formation the next day.

5 of 15: Captured Jewish Soldiers were generally tortured and/or killed by their German captors. In fact, Jewish Soldiers had been told, if captured, to lose their dog tags. The dog tag identified Jews with the letter “H” for Hebrew.

6 of 15: The next morning, Edmonds ordered every single American prisoner of war in the camp to assemble outside the barracks for Commandant Siegmann. Siegmann walked out to the courtyard to find all 1,275 men assembled.

7 of 15: Siegmann was furious. He walked up to Edmonds, snarling in English, “You are to identify the Jews immediately.”

Edmonds replied, “We are all Jews.”

Enraged, Siegmann took out his pistol and threatened to shoot Roddie, who refused to back down.

8 of 15: Edmonds told the Nazi that if any of his men were harmed, Siegmann would be hunted, tried, and convicted for war crimes.

Siegmann walked away.

Roddie’s courage saved the lives of more than 200 Jewish Soldiers in the POW camp.

9 of 15: 3 months later, Edmonds and all Americans imprisoned in Stalag IX were freed by Allied forces.

After the war, Roddie Edmonds never mentioned his heroism that day. He received no commendation for his courage while alive.

10 of 15: Long after Roddie died in 1985 at the age of 64, his children began to slowly uncover their father’s remarkable wartime deeds through his diary. Edmonds’ son, Chris, brought this act of love to light.

11 of 15: In 2015, Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to the victim of the Holocaust, recognized Roddie Edmonds as a Righteous Among the Nations. It is Israel’s highest honor for non-Jews who saved Jews during World War II.

12 of 15: Of 25,000 people to receive the award, Edmonds is one of only 5 Americans and the only active serviceman during World War II. His service was later the subject of a speech by President Obama at the Israeli Embassy in Washington.

13 of 15: This week, we spoke with Chris who had this message: “My father’s selfless actions in the face of unimaginable evil is vital in these days. Especially when our world is full of hatred and we still see anti-Semitism. His life and words speak powerfully today.”

14 of 15: Avner Shalev, chairman of the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum and memorial, said this: “The choices and actions of Master Sgt. Edmonds set an example for his fellow American Soldiers as they stood united against the barbaric evil of the Nazis.”

15 of 15: We’ll let Chris, author of a book on this story,, have the last word: “Each of us has the moral capacity to make a difference in the lives of others. Your ordinary life lived well is extraordinary—even heroic. So live as God made you. Live for others, be the hero!”