Roddie Edmonds; A Memorial Day Inspiration

A story from Humans of Judaism appeared on my LinkedIN feed the other day. Here it is.

Roddie Edmonds was a Master Sergeant in the United States Army. In late 1944, Edmonds was captured in the Battle of the Bulge and held at a German POW camp. In January 1945, the Nazis ordered all Jewish-American POWs to step forward. Edmonds, the highest-ranking noncommissioned officer at the camp, ordered all 1,000 US soldiers to step forward, regardless of their religion.
 
A German commander demanded that Edmonds identify the Jewish soldiers. Edmonds replied, "We are all Jews here." The commander threatened to shoot him if he did not comply. Edmonds refused, saying, "If you shoot, you'll have to shoot us all." The commander backed down.
 
Edmonds' actions are credited with saving the lives of 200 Jewish soldiers. In 2015, he was posthumously named Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem and was the first American soldier to receive the honor.
 
Edmonds' story is a reminder of the courage and compassion of those who stood up to the Nazis during World War II. He is a true hero, and his legacy will never be forgotten.

And so I think of him this weekend. I have often asked myself if asked to step forward to do the right thing at a possible cost of death, would I do it? Would I have hidden jews? Would I have worked in the underground? I like to believe I would, but would I?

This story, where it appears that every person in the group of 1,000 soldiers did the right thing at a possible perilous cost, is a lesson for us all. Need to stand up? Try to do it with others. Jointly. With solidarity.

As in most things, it takes a village. I love this story on this weekend when reflection should be part of our celebration of those who have served. I thank each of those thousand men for their service and their inspiration.