“I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.” Psalms 18:1-3
Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds demonstrated great courage by placing his life on the line in a German POW camp to protect Jewish soldiers under his command. His story is a reminder to never back down when standing for what is right—even in the face of fierce evil.
I hope his story inspires you as it has me.
Edmonds was a devout Christian from the hills of Tennessee who enlisted in the army in 1941 and quickly attained the rank of Master Sergeant. He was deployed to the European theater in late 1944, with the 106th Infantry Division, 422nd Infantry Regiment—a division known as the “Golden Lions.” The Division’s insignia was a golden lion’s face on a blue circular background encircled by white and then red borders respectively. The blue represented the Infantry, and the red represented the supporting artillery. The lion’s face symbolized strength and power.
In December 1944 Roddie bravely fought against impossible odds at the Battle of the Bulge. Then he, along with thousands of American GIs, were captured and sent to Stalag IX-B, a POW camp near Bad Orb, Germany. Forty days later, he and all noncommissioned officers were transferred to Stalag IX-A where Roddie was the senior officer in command of nearly 1300 American POWs.
On the first night at Stalag IX-A, the Germans sent orders to Edmonds that only the Jewish Americans were to fall out at the next morning’s roll call. Just the Jews. No one else. Anyone who disobeyed would be shot. Edmonds had witnessed Jewish Americans being brutally singled out at Stalag IX-B and he was determined to protect the Jewish servicemen under his command. Instead of following the Nazi’s orders, Edmonds issued his own orders: ALL 1292 American POWs would assemble outside the barracks at daybreak.
It was bitterly cold that morning, January 27, 1945. When Major Siegmann, a Nazi officer from High Command, saw that ALL the American soldiers were outside standing in sharp formation, he angrily demanded that Edmonds identify the Jews. Edmonds, with calm, extraordinary courage said:
“We are all Jews here.”
Enraged, Major Siegmann, an officer from High Command, took out his pistol and pressed it hard into Edmonds’ forehead. “They cannot all be Jews!” he said, insisting again that he identify the Jewish soldiers. Even with a Luger pointed at his head, Edmonds did not back down:
“Major,” he said, “You can shoot me but you’ll have to kill all of us…because we know who you are….and you’ll be tried for war crimes when we win this war…and you will pay.”
The Nazi officer miraculously backed down and the 200 Jewish soldiers in the group remained with their comrades until they were liberated. Incredibly, Edmonds never told anybody about his wartime heroism. In fact, it wasn’t until 30 years after his death in 1985 that his extraordinary story became known.
In 2005, Edmond’s granddaughter, Lauren, was assigned a college history project about a family member. Her father Chris Edmonds, a Pastor, remembered the frayed WWII diaries his dad kept, which had remained hidden in a cigar box in his closet. Amazingly, Roddie’s diary contained no hint of his bravery. Mostly it contained the names and addresses of the soldiers under his command. Moved by God’s Spirit, Chris started searching the names online and found an old article in The NY Times about Lester Tanner, who had become a prominent lawyer in New York. In the article, Tanner said that he owed his life to Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds.
Chris was amazed! He had no idea his father had been a war hero.
In a miraculous set of events, Chris found, met, and recorded the stories about his father from several Jewish men under his command who were still living. The stories they shared are recounted in the captivating book, “No Surrender” and in a documentary film, “Footsteps of My Father” which may be accessed at www.roddieedmonds.com. Chris summarized the heart and motivation for his father’s actions in one sentence:
“I know that my father was willing to die to save Jewish men under his command because he believed a Jewish man, Jesus Christ, had died to save him.”
Wow! The story of MSG Edmonds is such a powerful reminder of courage under fire!
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. Today, the children and grandchildren born to the Jewish men spared as a result of Edmonds’ courage—number in the thousands. They are each part of a legacy born from the bravery and integrity of a humble Christian man who saved the lives of his Jewish soldiers with five words: “We are all Jews here.”
Ah, my friend, when we give our life to Jesus and claim His gift of salvation, we are given a courage that supersedes our own. We are empowered by God, who defends and protects our eternal life. When our physical life also belongs to Him—we are unafraid to lay it on the line for others. Jesus set the standard. Like Roddie Edmonds, Jesus empowers us to do what He did.
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
~Jesus
John 15:13
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Amazing God be praised
Yes!!