Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds' name to be newly dedicated on Memorial Day

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]Tomorrow morning at sunrise, volunteers, veterans, and community members will gather at the East Tennessee Veterans Memorial and World's Fair Park to honor the more than 6,000 veterans who are engraved on the memorial. Each of those more than 6,000 names will be read aloud tomorrow, honoring people from 35 East Tennessee counties who died in military service since World War I. After those names are read, five newly engraved names will be dedicated, including Master Sergeant Rody Edmonds, who received the Medal of Honor, the military's highest and rarest medal this year. In a prisoner of war camp more than 80 years ago, Edmonds defied his German captives and refused to have Jewish soldiers fall out separately. It would have meant certain death for almost 200 Americans, even with a gun to his head. The 25-year-old devout Christian from South Knoxville stood in defiance, telling a Nazi officer, "We are all Jews here." 10 News anchor John Becker spoke to Rody Edmond's son back in February as he prepared to accept that honor on his father's behalf. And his son says he took the story to his grave.

[00:01:00]>> What do you think he would think of all this?

[00:01:03]>> He would be uh I think again in his humble spirit, he wouldn't think he deserved any anything. and he he would just say, "I just did what anybody would do. I was just doing my job, you know. I was just protecting my men." My prayer is that it will never sink in.

[00:01:22]That we will always be aed, not only by the citizen soldiers who serve us quietly in the shadows and protect us, but the um be aed by those few who step up and step out and go beyond the call of duty. just because it's the right thing to do.

[00:01:43]>> Edmond's name was added to the Medal of Honor recipients on the memorial last week as the 16th person from East Tennessee to receive one. Again, his name along with four other newly engraved soldiers will be read aloud for the first time at tomorrow morning's ceremony. And you can see much more about his story right now on our website, wbir.com, on the service and sacrifice page.

[00:02:04]And again, the reading of the names will be tomorrow morning starting at sunrise in World's Fair Park. The event is open to the public and will happen rain or shine.