Bill > HR921

This bill seeks to award a posthumous Congressional Gold Medal to Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds in recognition of his extraordinary heroism during World War II. The bill details how Edmonds, while a prisoner of war in Stalag IX-A, a Nazi prison camp, courageously protected approximately 200 Jewish-American soldiers from potential execution. When Nazi officers ordered him to separate Jewish soldiers, Edmonds commanded all 1,292 soldiers under his command to stand together, famously declaring "We are all Jews here" when confronted by a German officer pointing a gun at him. By refusing to identify Jewish soldiers and invoking the Geneva Convention, he effectively saved numerous lives. The bill highlights that Edmonds, who passed away in 1985 without ever discussing his wartime heroism, was posthumously recognized by Yad Vashem (the World Holocaust Remembrance Center) as "Righteous Among the Nations". The legislation authorizes the Speaker of the House and Senate President pro tempore to arrange for a gold medal to be struck and presented to Edmonds' son, Christopher Waring Edmonds, with provisions for potentially creating duplicate bronze medals. The bill also classifies the medal as a national medal and a numismatic item, underlining its historical and commemorative significance.

Business and Industry

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/921/all-info