A soldier who risked his life to protect hundreds of Jewish-American prisoners of war during World War II will posthumously receive the Medal of Honor more than 40 years after his death.Master Sgt. Roderick “Roddie” Edmonds will be honored at a White House ceremony on Mar. 2, 2026. The recognition comes 80 years after Edmonds defied Nazi orders at a German POW camp, declaring “We are all Jews here” to prevent the identification and potential execution of Jewish soldiers under his command.Read: Israel honors US soldier who defied Nazi captors: ‘We are all Jews here’ Born in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1919, Edmonds enlisted in the Army in 1941 at age 22. He was captured by German forces on Dec. 19, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge and imprisoned at Stalag IX-A near Ziegenhain, Germany, where he became the senior noncommissioned officer overseeing 1,292 American prisoners.On Jan. 27, 1945, the camp commandant ordered Edmonds to identify which soldiers were Jewish for separate assembly. Edmonds refused. Edmonds ordered all his men, Jewish and non-Jewish, to stand outside their barracks.When a German officer pointed a pistol at him and shouted, “They cannot all be Jews,” Edmonds replied: “We are all Jews here.” World War II The mathematician who saved hundreds of flight crews during World War II The U.S. military had a problem. This Jewish mathematician who fled the Nazis solved it. By Logan Nye Medal of Honor This Medal of Honor recipient came up with the idea for the Super Bowl Joe Foss was not only a legendary military aviator. He was a visionary, too. By Stephen Ruiz World War II The John Frum Movement and the Legacy of World War II in the South Pacific Is the John Frum Movement a “cargo cult”? By Daniel Tobias Flint Read more “Major, you can shoot me, you can shoot all of us, but we know who you are,” Lester Tannenbaum, a Jewish NCO who stood beside him during the confrontation, told Task & Purpose. “This war is almost over, and you’ll be a war criminal.”The German officer backed down. Edmonds’ defiance saved an estimated 200 to 300 Jewish-American soldiers.Roddie Edmonds never spoke of the incident, taking the story to his grave. His family learned of his actions only in 2013, nearly three decades after his death.“All we knew was that he fought in World War II, in the Battle of the Bulge, and came home,” said his son, Chris Edmonds. “He wouldn’t talk about it.”In 2015, Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem, recognized Edmonds as “Righteous Among the Nations,”an honor bestowed on non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. He became the first U.S. soldier and one of only five Americans to receive the distinction.After the war, Edmonds continued his military service during the Korean War, serving with the 1st Cavalry Division and earning the Combat Infantryman Badge. He later worked in journalism, mobile homes, and cable television in Knoxville. He died in 1985 at age 65. Quick Hits Medal of Honor A World War II POW who defied Nazis to protect Jewish soldiers will receive the Medal of Honor By Blake Stilwell Military News The VA backed down on its new disability rating rule—but didn’t rescind it By Blake Stilwell Military News A new VA disability rule may lower millions of veteran disability ratings By Blake Stilwell Feature No, kids are not getting dumber. Here’s the truth about the Gen Z intelligence study. By Blake Stilwell Movies The new Jimmy Stewart biopic depicts his World War II service By Blake Stilwell The post A World War II POW who defied Nazis to protect Jewish soldiers will receive the Medal of Honor appeared first on We Are The Mighty.