,i  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #iba  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,february #d1        
#bjbe,mr4 ,burchett 7for himself1 ,mr4  
,moskowitz1 ,ms4 ,wasserman ,schultz1   
,mr4 ,rose1 ,ms4 ,brownley1 ,mr4 ,mrvan1
 ,mr4 ,costa1 ,mr4 ,lawler1 ,mr4        
,carson1 ,mr4 ,weber of ,texas1 ,mr4    
,zinke1 and ,mr4 ,neal7 introduced the  
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,financial ,services  
,a ,,bill  ,to award a ,congressional   
,gold ,medal to ,master ,sergeant       
,roderick ,roddie ,edmonds in           
recognition of his heroic actions during
 ,world ,war ,,ii4  #a4 ,short title    
,this ,act may be cited as the ,master  
,sergeant ,roddie ,edmonds              
,congressional ,gold ,medal ,act4  #b4  
,findings ,congress finds the following3
  7#a7 ,roderick ,w4 ,edmonds 7in this  
,act referred to as ,roddie ,edmonds or 
,edmonds7 was born in #aiai in ,south   
,knoxville1 ,tennessee1 and graduated   
from ,knoxville ,high ,school in #aich4 

7#b7 ,roddie ,edmonds was a ,master     
,sergeant in the ,united ,states ,army  
and a member of the #dbbnd ,infantry    
,regiment while serving during ,world   
,war ,,ii4  7#c7 ,roddie ,edmonds landed
 in ,europe in #aidd and fought to the  
border between ,belgium and ,germany4   
,in ,december of #aidd1 while fighting  
in the ,battle of the ,bulge1 ,edmonds  
was captured by ,nazi forces and        
detained in ,stalag ,,ix-,a1 a prisoner 
of war camp in ,ziegenhain1 ,germany4   
7#d7 ,stalag ,,ix-,a was a site used to 
identify1 segregate1 and remove ,jewish 
soldiers from the general population of 
prisoners of war and many of the ,jewish
 soldiers who were so removed were sent 
to labor camps or murdered4 ,members of 
the ,armed ,forces were warned of this  
policy and aware that their fellow      
servicemen could be at risk4  7#e7 ,as  
the senior noncommissioned officer in   
,stalag ,,ix-,a1 ,master ,sergeant      
,edmonds was responsible for #a1bib     
members of the ,armed ,forces at the    

camp4 ,approximately #a month after the 
date on which ,edmonds was detained1    
,edmonds was directed to order the      
,jewish-,american soldiers under his    
command to fall out in order to separate
 the ,jewish-,american soldiers from    
their fellow prisoners4  7#f7 ,defying  
the orders of the ,nazis1 ,roddie       
,edmonds commanded all of his men to    
fall out and1 the following morning1 all
 of the #a1bib members of the ,armed    
,forces under the command of ,edmonds   
stood outside of their prison barracks4 
7#g7 ,upon seeing the soldiers1 a       
,german officer angrily shouted1 ,they  
cannot all be ,jews61 to which ,edmonds 
replied1 ,we are all ,jews here4  7#h7  
,the ,german officer took out his pistol
 and pointed the gun at the head of     
,edmonds1 but ,edmonds refused to       
identify the ,jewish soldiers4 ,instead1
 ,edmonds responded1 ,according to the  
,geneva ,convention1 we only have to    
give our name1 rank1 and serial number4 
,if you shoot me1 you will have to shoot

 all of us and1 after the war1 you will 
be tried for war crimes4  7#i7 ,the     
,german officer turned away from        
,edmonds and the other soldiers and left
 the scene4 ,the actions taken by       
,edmonds saved the lives of             
approximately #bjj ,jewish-,american    
members of the ,armed ,forces4  7#aj7   
,lester ,tanner1 a ,jewish-,american    
member of the ,armed ,forces also       
captured during the ,battle of the      
,bulge1 witnessed the incident and      
stated that1 ,there was no question in  
my mind1 or that of ,master ,sergeant   
,edmonds1 that the ,germans were        
removing the ,jewish prisoners from the 
general population at great risk to     
their survival4 ,the ,u4,s4 ,army's     
standing command to its ranking officers
 in ,,pow camps is that you resist the  
enemy and care for the safety of your   
men to the greatest extent possible4    
,master ,sergeant ,edmonds1 at the risk 
of his immediate death1 defied the      
,germans with the unexpected            

consequences that the ,jewish prisoners 
were saved4  7#aa7 ,edmonds survived    
#ajj days in captivity and returned home
 after the war4 ,later1 ,edmonds served 
the ,united ,states in ,korea as a      
member of the ,national ,guard4 ,edmonds
 died in #aihe1 but never told his      
family or anyone else of his brave      
actions outside the barracks of ,stalag 
,,ix-,a during ,world ,war ,,ii4  7#ab7 
,edmonds was posthumously recognized by 
,yad ,vashem1 the ,world ,holocaust     
,remembrance ,center in ,jerusalem1 as  
,righteous ,among the ,nations1 the     
first member of the ,armed ,forces and  
#a of only #e people of the ,united     
,states to be so recognized4 ,avner     
,shalev1 ,chairman of ,yad ,vashem1     
announced the selection of ,edmonds by  
saying1 ,master ,sergeant ,roddie       
,edmonds seemed like an ordinary        
,american soldier1 but he had an        
extraordinary sense of responsibility   
and dedication to his fellow human      
beings4 ''' ,the choices and actions of 

,master ,sergeant ,edmonds set an       
example for his fellow ,american        
soldiers as they stood united against   
the barbaric evil of the ,nazis4  7#ac7 
#bjbe will mark the #hjth anniversary of
 the conclusion of ,,wwii and the       
atrocities of the ,holocaust as well as 
the #djth anniversary of the passing of 
,master ,sergeant ,roddie ,edmonds4  #c4
 ,congressional gold medal  7a7 ,award  
authorized ,the ,speaker of the ,house  
of ,representatives and the ,president  
pro tempore of the ,senate shall make   
appropriate arrangements for the        
posthumous award1 on behalf of          
,congress1 of a gold medal of           
appropriate design to ,roddie ,edmonds  
in recognition of his achievements and  
heroic actions during ,world ,war ,,ii4 
7b7 ,design and striking ,for the       
purpose of the award referred to in     
subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of the   
,treasury 7referred to in this ,act as  
the ,secretary7 shall strike a gold     
medal with suitable emblems1 devices1   

and inscriptions to be determined by the
 ,secretary4  7c7 ,presentation and     
award of medal ,the gold medal referred 
to in subsection 7a7 shall be presented1
 and following the presentation awarded1
 to his son1 ,pastor ,christopher       
,waring ,edmonds1 or the next of kin of 
,roddie ,edmonds4  #d4 ,duplicate medals
 ,the ,secretary may strike and sell    
duplicates in bronze of the gold medal  
struck under section #c under such      
regulations as the ,secretary may       
prescribe1 at a price sufficient to     
cover the cost thereof1 including labor1
 materials1 dies1 use of machinery1 and 
overhead expenses4  #e4 ,status of      
medals  7a7 ,national medals ,the medals
 struck under this ,act are national    
medals for purposes of chapter #ea of   
title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code4  7b7  
,numismatic items ,for purposes of      
sections #eacd and #eacf of title #ca1  
,united ,states ,code1 all medals struck
 under this ,act shall be considered to 
be numismatic items4