I am Spartacus!On December 19th, 1944 Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds was captured by German forces d

I am Spartacus!On December 19th, 1944 Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds was captured by German forces during the Battle of the Bulge, the last major Axis offensive of the war. Edmond was sent to Stalag IX-A, a prisoner of war camp housing 1,275 American servicemen. As the highest ranking non-commissioned officer in the camp, Edmonds was responsible for these men. On January 27th, 1945 the camp commandant ordered Edmonds to have all the camps Jewish soldiers present themselves separate from the rest of the men. At the time the average grunt only had a vague idea of the Holocaust. There were rumors, stories, and some official reports, but few common soldiers really had any idea as to the extent of the Nazi’s persecution of Jews. However, Edmonds understood enough to know that the commandant’s order would only lead to bad things for the 200 American Jews who occupied the camp.Edmonds ordered all 1,275 POWs to assemble in the main courtyard. Quite dismayed the commandant demanded all Jews to step forward. All 1,275 men stepped forward. In anger, the commandant pulled a pistol on Edmonds and demanded he call out all of the Jewish soldiers present. Edmonds responded, “We are all Jews here, if you have to shoot Jews, you will have to shoot us all.” Edmonds then reminded the commandant that as POWs they were protected under the Geneva Convention, and all they had to give him was their name, rank, and serial number. Any abuses to his men would be considered war crimes, and he would likely be wanted as a war criminal when the war is over. The commandant begrudgingly backed down.After the war Edmonds continued his career in the US Army, serving in Korea as well. He rarely ever spoke about his experiences during the war, and they only came to light after his death in 1985 when his family found his war time diary. He was awarded the title “Righteous Among Nations” by Yad Vashem in 2015 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2017.Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds -- source link

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