Bill > SJR0927

This resolution honors the memory of Master Sergeant Roderick "Roddie" W. Edmonds, a United States Army soldier from Tennessee who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration for valor. The resolution recounts how, during World War II as a prisoner of war in Germany, Master Sergeant Edmonds displayed extraordinary courage and leadership when German guards ordered Jewish-American prisoners to report separately, threatening execution. Knowing this would likely lead to persecution or death, Edmonds instructed all approximately 1,200 American prisoners to stand together and declared, "We are all Jews here," refusing to identify any Jewish soldiers. Despite a German commandant threatening him with a pistol, Edmonds stood his ground, warning that executing prisoners would violate the Geneva Convention and constitute a war crime, ultimately leading the commandant to relent and saving the lives of over 200 Jewish-American servicemen. The resolution further states that an appropriate copy of this resolution will be prepared for presentation.

https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/Billinfo/Default?BillNumber=SJR0927&ga=114