Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds: The American Soldier Who Never Backed Down
Roddie Edmonds (1919–1985) risked his life to save the lives of as many as 200–300 Jewish soldiers under his command in World War II. The ranking Allied officer in a German Nazi prisoner of war (POW) camp, he was ordered at gunpoint to identify any Jewish soldiers in the ranks and refused, risking his life in the process.
Captured during the Battle of the Bulge, Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds was the highest-ranking American soldier at Stalag IXA, a prisoner of war camp near Ziegenhain, Germany. A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Roddie was a simple, soft-spoken man of deep inner strength and unwavering Christian faith. Though he was driven to the limits of endurance, Roddie refused to succumb to Nazi brutality toward the Jewish-American GIs with whom he was serving. Through his inspiring leadership and bravery Roddie saved the lives of hundreds of U.S. infantrymen in those perilous final days of the Second World War.
But then Roddie returned home to Knoxville and never told his family or anyone else what had occured in that POW camp. He eventually got married, had children and grandchildren, and died in 1985. Roddie Edmonds never received a medal or honor or any type of recognition for the lives he saved during World War II. Years after his death, one of his sons began to do some research and discovered what had occured in that German prisoner of war camp so many years before. And then suddenly, the whole world was made aware that Roddie Edmonds had been a hero of the Holocaust.
Roddie's story, hidden history that has remained long forgotten, is the story of a patriot who went beyond the call of duty to save the lives of Jewish-Americans & the importance of standing up for decency and humanity during a time of great hate.
For the rest of Roddie's story, please check out the audio link provided for EPISODE EIGHTEEN of our podcast, Hidden History: An Odyssey Through Time
LISTEN NOW: Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds: The American Soldier Who Never Backed Down
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1920 United States census showing the Edmonds family: Thomas, Jennie, Robert, Leon, Thomas and Roddie (courtesy of familysearch.org).
On June 25, 1922, about a month before Roddie's third birthday, his mother Jennie Mary died suddenly (The Journal and Tribune (Knoxville), Monday, June 26, 1922).
A portion of the death certificate for Jennie Mary Edmonds. Under "Cause of Death" it says: "saw her after death which was sudden..." Can you read the rest of it? (courtesy of familysearch.org)
Knoxville High School Class of 1938, Roddie is pictured on the bottom right (courtesy of the Blue and White, Knoxville High School's Weekly Newspaper, January 14, 1938).
On October 16, 1940, twenty-one year old Roddie Edmonds registered with the local draft board, as required by the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940. On March 17, 1941, three months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Roddie enlisted in the U.S. Army and quickly rose to the rank of master sergeant (courtesy of familysearch.org).
Roddie Edmonds (front row 2nd from left) in Camp Atterbury, Indiana (courtesy of Yad Vashem).
In November 1942, Roddie married Marie Solomon while he was stationed at Camp Forrest in Tennessee. That marriage would only last until sometime in 1944, when the couple got a divorce (The Knoxville News Sentinel, Sunday, December 13, 1942).
Master Sgt. Roddie W. Edmonds in the battlefield with his men, date unknown (courtesy of Yad Vashem).
Roddie Edmonds' diaries during his time in a Nazi prisoner of war camp (courtesy of Yad Vashem).
Partial list from Roddie's diary of American prisoners of war who were with Roddie in the camp. Lester Tannenbaum, center row 8th name down, would later provide a witness statement to Yad Vashem on Roddie's behalf (courtesy of the Edmonds family).
Drawings made by Edmonds during captivity – given the shortage of food in the prison camp, Edmonds & his fellow POWs planned to open a restaurant after their return home. The plans never materialized (courtesy of the Edmonds family).
This newspaper clipping from August 1951 announces the return of Roddie from Korea, where he served during the Korean War. It also mentions his second wife, Pauline, who he had married in 1948 but like his first marriage, this too would end after a few short years due to Roddie's military service (The Knoxville Journal, Friday, August 24, 1951).
Roddie married Mary Ann Watson on February 18, 1953 and they remained together for the rest of their lives. The date of this photo is unknown.
Roddie W. Edmonds later in life (courtesy of the Edmonds family).
The final resting place of Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds in Berry Highland Memorial Cemetery, Knoxville, Tennessee.
Chris Edmonds & Lester Tanner (Tannenbaum) look through Roddie's wartime journal, date unknown (courtesy of the Edmonds family).
On February 10, 2015, Yad Vashem recognized Master Sargent Roddie Edmonds as Righteous Among the Nations. On January 27, 2016, a ceremony was held at the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C., where Israeli ambassador, Ron Dermer, & Yad Vashem Council Chairman, Rabbi Lau, presented the Righteous medal and certificate of honor to Roddie’s son, Chris.
President Barack Obama greets Chris Edmonds at the ceremony recognizing Roddie Edmonds as ‘Righteous Amongst the Nations’ (courtesy of the Edmonds family).
In May 2020, Mary Ann Edmonds joined her husband Roddie in Berry Highland Memorial Cemetery.
On November 15, 2020, a historical marker honoring Roddie was placed in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was donated by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, with support from the Knoxville Jewish Alliance.
Chris Edmonds standing next to his father's historical marker in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Pearl Harbor is a U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, that was the scene of a devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. Just before 8 a.m. on that Sunday morning, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended on the base, where they managed to destroy or damage nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships, and over 300 airplanes. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, including civilians, and another 1,000 people were wounded.
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The “Ritchie Boys” is a term used for American soldiers who trained at Camp Ritchie during World War II. At Camp Ritchie, military instructors taught intelligence-gathering collections and analysis to approximately 20,000 soldiers. Several thousand of these soldiers were Jewish refugees who had immigrated to the United States from Europe to escape Nazi persecution. Approximately 2,000, or ten percent, of the soldiers who trained at Camp Ritchie were German Jewish refugees. Their fluency in the German language and knowledge of German customs enhanced their intelligence work.
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He was a Hero,everything he did,very good history story,and good job John for all the research you did and hard work