Bill > S262

This bill seeks to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Master Sergeant Roderick "Roddie" Edmonds in recognition of his extraordinary heroism during World War II. The bill details Edmonds' remarkable actions at Stalag IX-A, a Nazi prisoner of war camp, where he protected approximately 200 Jewish-American soldiers from potential execution. When ordered to separate Jewish soldiers, Edmonds courageously commanded all 1,292 prisoners under his command to stand together, declaring "We are all Jews here" when confronted by a German officer with a pistol. By refusing to identify Jewish soldiers and invoking the Geneva Convention, he effectively prevented the Nazis from singling out and potentially murdering Jewish prisoners. The bill highlights that Edmonds, who survived 100 days of captivity and later served in Korea, was posthumously recognized by Yad Vashem as "Righteous Among the Nations" - the first U.S. Armed Forces member to receive this honor. The legislation authorizes the Speaker of the House and Senate President pro tempore to present a gold medal to Edmonds' family, with provisions for striking duplicate bronze medals. The bill also specifies that the medal will be considered a national medal and that costs will be covered by the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/262/all-info