US President Donald Trump posthumously awarded Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds with the Medal of Honor last week, 81 years after he saved more than 200 Jewish Americans during the Second World War.
Mr. Edmonds' family joined the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous (JFR) and the survivors and descendants of Stalag IXA to celebrate the receipt of the medal at White House.
The JFR was the first to recognize Edmond's acts of heroism during World War II, honoring him posthumously with the Foundation’s Yehi Or (Let There Be Light) Award in 2016.
In addition to the 2016 award, JFR produced the documentary Footsteps of My Father, which recounts Edmonds' story through the lens of his son and several of the American Jews he saved.
Edmonds's heroism recognized by Yad Vashem
His heroism has also been recognized by Yad Vashem, which named him Righteous Among the Nations, the only American soldier to receive that distinction.
Edmonds was captured by the Nazis during the Battle of the Bulge on December 19, 1944, and sent to Stalag IXA, a prisoner of war camp.
When the camp’s commandant ordered Edmonds to identify the Jewish soldiers for separation, Edmonds refused.
Placing a pistol against his head, the commandant again demanded that the Jewish soldiers step forward. Edmonds responded, “We are all Jews here,” and refused to identify them, thereby saving their lives.
Trump began the ceremony with an update on Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing war launched by Israel and the US against Iran, discussing the potential threat believed to be posed by Iran.
"For almost 47 years, this regime has been attacking the United States and killing Americans," he declared. "This was our last, best chance to strike... and eliminate the intolerable threats posed by this sick and sinister regime."
He continued to discuss the ongoing operations against Iran, repeating that Iran was "on the road" to getting access to nuclear weapons, and that one of the primary goals of the war was to prevent them from doing so.
After recounting Edmonds' story, Trump told his son, Chris Edmonds, that "Today your father gets the honor he so courageously earned... A really amazing story."