Daniel Lowe Mrs. Grace English Some date Some Title Roughly 6 million Jewish people were killed. This is the effect of the Holocaust; a horrific event, caused by horrible people. However, there were also good people who worked to save others. The Holocaust was the genocide of the Jewish people that took place during WWII in Germany. Roddy Edmonds is a hero of the Holocaust because he was brave enough to risk his life for others, did not flaunt his role, and he refused to let others die to save his life. Roddie Edmonds was born to Thomas Edmonds and Mary Sexton in 1919 in South Knoxville, Tennessee (“The Story of an Unjustly Overlooked American World War II Hero”). He had 4 older brothers, one of whom died after a year. He graduated from Knoxville …show more content…
He mostly fought at the border between Belgium and Germany. In December of 1944, while fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, Edmonds was captured by Nazi forces held in Stalag IX–A, a prisoner of war camp in Ziegenhain, Germany (S.1134 - Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds Congressional Gold Medal Act). Stalag IX–A was a place used to remove Jewish soldiers from the rest of the prisoners. Many of the Jewish soldiers who were removed were sent to labor camps or killed. Members of the Army were told about this. While there, Roddie was in charge, being the senior officer. He was told to command all Jewish-American prisoners to report the next morning in order to separate them from the rest of the prisoners. He instead told all of the soldiers to report, so that none of the Jews could be identified. When the German commanding officer saw all 1,275 soldiers he said, “These cannot all be Jews!” Roddie Edmonds replied calmly, “We are all Jews here.” (The Story of an Unjustly Overlooked American World War II Hero). Mad, the commander, drew his pistol and pressed it to Edmond’s …show more content…
The 'Standard'. “The Story of an Unjustly Overlooked American World War II Hero.” Time, 19 Aug. 2023, time.com/6306430/roddie-edmonds-american-world-war-ii/ Domonoske, Camila. “U. S. Soldier Honored Posthumously For Protecting Jewish POWs In 1945.” NPR, 2 Dec. 2015, www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/12/02/458166709/u-s-soldier-posthumously-honored-for-protecting-jewish-pows-in-1945 Jones, Clifford. POW Master Sergeant Told Nazis, ‘We Are All Jews,’ 10 Feb. 2016, www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/NCO-Journal/Archives/2016/February/POW-Master-Sergeant-Told-Nazis-We-Are-All-Jews/ Henry, Patrick. “‘We Are All Jews Here.’” Tablet, 27 May 2021, www.tabletmag.com/sections/history/articles/roddie-edmonds-patrick-henry. “S.1134 - Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds Congressional Gold Medal Act.” Congress, 5 Apr. 2021,