Master Sergeant Roddie Edmonds was captured by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge, and placed with over 1,000 other Americans soldiers in a POW camp. His actions there, which put his own life at risk, probably saved the lives of some 200 Jewish prisoners. Now, 30 years after his death, he is being honored by Yad Vashem as one of the “righteous among the nations.” Aron Heller writes:
U.S. soldiers had been warned that Jewish fighters among them would be in danger if captured and were told to destroy dog tags or any other evidence identifying them as Jewish. So when the German camp commander, speaking in English, ordered the Jews to identify themselves, Edmonds knew what was at stake.
Turning to the rest of the POWs, he said: “We are not doing that, we are all falling out.” . . . With all of the camp’s inmates defiantly standing in front of their barracks, the German commander turned to Edmonds and said, “They cannot all be Jews.” To which Edmonds replied, “We are all Jews here.”
Then the Nazi officer pressed his pistol to Edmonds head and offered him one last chance. Edmonds merely gave him his name, rank, and serial number as required by the Geneva Conventions [and then added], “If you are going to shoot, you are going to have to shoot all of us because we know who you are and you’ll be tried for war crimes when we win this war.” . . . Witnesses to the exchange said the German officer then withdrew.
Read more on Times of Israel: http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-honors-us-gi-who-told-the-nazis-we-are-all-jews/