No Surrender audiobook

Decades after his father passed away, during a random Google search, Chris Edmonds discovers that his father is a hero.Roddie Edmonds was a Staff Sargent assigned to the 422nd Infantry Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division, who were shipped to Europe. They were stationed outside Saint. Vith near the Allied front, a position that was supposed to be light action, ideal for seasoning soldiers who hadn’t experienced combat before. Instead, they ended up where the Germans concentrated their forces. Hitler’s army readied their final military offensive, what would later be called the Battle of the Bulge. This was the 2nd most lethal battle fought by US military in history.The nonstop fighting started December 16th, and Edmond’s troops were captured by Nazis on December 19th. The Nazis had been massacring surrendering, unarmed men—killing soldiers, civilians, and POWs. From the moment the men were taken prisoner, it became clear that the Nazi soldiers had no intention of abiding by the Geneva Conventions—the International Standards for Treatment in War—including prohibitions against violence, cruel treatment, torture…and murder. (Incidentally, I learned that Germany’s actions, their intentional cruelty despite having signed the earlier Geneva Conventions, were a direct cause of the expansions of the Geneva Conventions articles in 1949!)Chris Edmonds had his father’s diaries from the war, the notebooks he’d written in while he was in the SS run POW camp—but at some point his father had torn out multiple pages. There were chopped off sentences and incomplete paragraphs, like “I enjoyed my last meal on the evening of the 17th, because the morning of” and then NOTHING! Missing pages, and then a paragraph that seemed unrelated, “…the reason I am writing this, mainly, is to relieve my mind, and while some of the events are fresh in my mind.” Chris had always wanted to know more, but it took on critical importance the day he read that 300 WWII veterans were passing away on a daily basis. Eventually they would all be gone, and the information would be lost forever. No one would know what happened.Chris starts on an odyssey to track down the remaining men that his father commanded, to find out what happened before it was too late. What Chris finds out is that his father is in fact a hero—a hero by ANY definition or accounting.WOW, what a book! It really made an impact on me—I don’t know if it’s just that, like Roddie Edmonds, these heroes don’t go around telling their tales, and so we don’t KNOW this stuff, or if I just haven’t read the right histories, but this book was shocking, heartbreaking, and inspiring. I had no idea about the treatment that these POWs received at the hands of the Nazis—it was literally the same as the concentration camp victims. Also, the descriptions of the battle are terrifying. Chris has done an excellent job telling a thrilling and suspenseful story, and clearly he wouldn’t have been able to without the willingness of the survivors to relive their memories. What hit me so hard was that this was all true.There are several instances where Roddie Edmonds’ calm leadership saved lives, and more than one where he risked his life—with a literal gun to his head—to keep his men safe. I hate to give more details and spoil the story—but I was riveted. I tore through this book in one night, unable to put it down because I had to know what happened. The bravery of these men is incredible—the ones who fought, the ones who died, the ones who survived the POW camp. The ones who shared their stories, their willingness to go over what had to be horribly difficult memories in order to bring Roddie Edmonds’ heroism to light is immensely brave as well. It’s nice to know there are still real heroes out there!

Chris Edmonds discovers, in serendipitous fashion, that his father was a war hero during his time in a Nazi POW camp. He sets out to discover the role his father played in saving the lives of Jewish POWs and it’s last impact years later. Roddie’s story was fascinating, and there were quite a few historical facts mentioned in this book about other areas of the war that were new to me. The first tow or three chapters were fairly clumsily written and I felt like they were disjointed. But then the story picks up, the writing improves, and I was riveted, especially for the last half. I do wish there had been more follow up for certain characters. I felt like Roddie’s actions were incredibly impressive and this book is so sincere in how it handles the story. I enjoyed the scope of the book, it’s point of view, and the story. Thank you Netgalley for a free digital advanced copy!

This war story is among the best I’ve read for its sincerity, graphic descriptions, and lessons as remembered by its aged survivors. Chris Edmonds, a Tennessee pastor, prompted by a daughter who wanted to write a school paper about her paternal grandfather, realized he knew very little about his own World War II veteran father. It started a frenzied search through his father’s journals, hunting down living buddies of his father’s from the war, traveling many miles to interview them, and putting it all together into a tribute to his father, Roddie Edmonds.The author perused brief journal notes in his father’s own handwriting. There were bare facts, terse descriptions, and fragmented sentences, written in personal shorthand and scribbled in haste. He knew his father was captured by the Nazis and sent to brutal POW camps, but it was the stories he was told by living survivors that really brought home the fact that his father was a revered hero, all because of two episodes. In both, he had defied brutal camp supervisors, his bold defiance saving the lives of his fellow prisoners while almost certainly inviting his own death.Refusing to follow orders in a prison camp run by maniacal Nazi thugs was a sure way to get executed. Two times Roddie, the leader of the prisoner group based on his rank and seniority, stood firmly in front a an infuriated Nazi madman and refused to follow his orders, once with the officer’s Luger pistol aimed at his forehead. His men stood defiantly behind him while secretly fearing what would happen to him. As it turns out, nothing happened, either to him or his men.The biggest part of the book tells the frightening story of war, the fighting, bombing, shelling, and hand-to-hand combat and overwhelming terror of facing death at every turn. The stench, hunger, and debilitating cold are constant companions. The GIs are finally overrun and thousands of prisoners are force-marched to inhospitable prison camps that are hellholes with no comfort or food, and brutal assaults are constantly rained upon the hapless men. Through it all, Edmonds discovers that his father, Roddie, is an inspiration to all and a spiritual leader that the men are devoted to.Edmonds tells a heartwarming story amid the horrors of war and imprisonment. He goes on to give updates of their life after they are freed and return home. I found the book to be inspirational and heartwarming. Real heroes are those who are behind the spotlight as they perform their heroic acts. So it was with Roddie Edmonds.

This is a remarkable story written by the son of a World War II veteran who embarked on a quest to uncover the mysteries surrounding his father's heroic acts while held at a German POW camp. A man who was reserved and humble by nature, he never sought praise or notoriety following the war. Although he kept a journal, portions that possibly contained details regarding his heroic acts were missing and he never spoke of these events until the day of this death. When his son learned that there was far more to his father's service than he had known, he traveled the country for several years, conducting research, interviewing, and befriending men who served alongside his father. Eventually he learned that through incredible acts of selflessness and heroism, his father was instrumental in saving the lives of potentially thousands of POW's.

A testament of faithI loved the passages from the word of God that Chris used throughout his book. The story of his father Roddie Edmonds and his father's fellow soldiers was an inspirational story. It was a story of survival and a story of faith. A story of a soldier that put his own life on the line to save the lives of others.It was a story of life as a soldier at the front and life in POW camps. It told the story of the savagery of the Nazi Army and the faith and determination of the capture U.S. Forces. How he was responsible for saving over 200 American Jewish soldiers and later 1200 American servicemen from the death march as the war was ending.It is a testimony to all the POWs he served with that they kept their dignity and helped each other, the strong helping the week. One of my favorite parts was the Christmas in the boxcar. They were locked in a small boxcar, cold, hungry, thirsty and tired, but somehow they still were able to celebrate Christmas by praying and singing hymns. I was impressed that after the war they went on with their lives and lived good lives preferring to put the war behind them and go on with life. It did give them a new appreciation of everything we all take for granted. Little things like a cup of coffee, a good meal, and big things like freedom and a loving family. Their faith was tested and they never lost their faith.I enjoyed reading this book and the information it contained. Books are often written about the war and the concentration camps, however, fewer are written about the U.S. Soldier serving in German POW camps. I would definitely recommend this book.

When I started this book I was not sure that I wanted to finish it. The book begins with the writer's discovery of his father's service in WWII. The writer went into detail about how he found out about his father's war experiences. Like most WWII veterans, his father never spoke of his time in the war. However, once the book moved into a detailed account of his father, Roddie's, time in service, I was not able to put it down.The book is a good example of a collection of personal narratives of those who served with Roddie. The writer spent months tracking down those who knew Roddie and preserving their stories. To a man, they remembered him as a great leader. One who had courage born of a deep faith. On three occasions during Roddie's time a POW, his faith strengthened him and those who served under his command. He serves as a great example of a common man who acted in an extraordinary way when confronted with a desperate situation.The authors last paragraphs sum up the book: "I guess that's what's most remarkable about my journey to discover what my father did in the Second World War--the realization that any one of us has the untapped potential to do something incredibly courageous. Not a day passes for me now when I don't marvel at this epiphany: we all have the potential to change the world simply by standing up for what's right."Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely amazing true story. Roddie was a real hero and his story shows the power of faith and character. Would make an incredible movie.

I received an advance reading copy of this book from NetGalley in return for a fair review. When I started reading this book, I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but it turned out to be one of the finest books that I have read so far this year. As soon as I realized that Chris Edmonds was writing an extraordinary tribute to his father, I was all in. Roddie Edmonds was the kind of man you would be privileged to have known--a good father, a good provider and a man of faith. It was that faith that saw him through his darkest hour when he was a POW at a German prison camp during World War II. He never really talked about his experiences, but after his death, when Chris decided to research what happened, the amazing events unfolded. Roddie Edmonds was a hero in every sense of the word and his story needed to be told. He not only stood up to the sadistic officers that ran the POW camp, but put his men first and did what he could to save each and every one of them. He was only 25 years old with more than 1,000 men looking up to him for leadership and he did not disappoint. He prayed with them, inspired them to hang on and led by example. I would like to personally thank Chris Edmonds for introducing me to his father. I will never forget the bravery of this real-life hero. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in WWII, The Greatest Generation and/or the human spirit. Thank you, Roddie Edmonds, for your service and for the lives you saved. It is men like you who still give us hope.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.No Surrender tells the story of Roddie Edmonds, a soldier from Tennessee who is plunked down into hell on earth, Stalag IXA, a Nazi prisoner of war camp. Roddie’s son, Chris, begins a look into his father’s past to help his daughter with a school assignment. What he discovers is a man who lived his life according to one of his favorite scripture passages: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).Chris begins with his father’s wartime diaries, which are cryptic at best. They are not diaries in the strict sense, some entries consisting of just a single word. This leads him to search for men who served with and under his father. Through interviews, he learns what happened in the camp. I won’t spoil your reading by telling you, but it is a story of courage, bravery, faith, inspiration and righteousness that will restore your faith in humanity. This is a powerful book, and reading it will make you understand why it is called The Greatest Generation. The young men who lived these horrors went on to become ordinary people and, as the author points out, an ordinary life lived well is, indeed, extraordinary.www.candysplanet.wordpress.com

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. I wasn't prepared to like this book so much. But it was great. If you want to know more about what life for the infantry soldier was like, read this book. If you want to discover how ordinary men can do extraordinary things when needed, read this book. If you want to read about an offspring's discovery that a parent was much, much more than what they experienced in their day-to-day life, read this book. You will not be disappointed and amazed at how quickly the book reads.

No Surrender – by Chris Edmonds and Douglas Century – HarperCollins Publisher 2019 Most of us never really know our parents’ true characters because they are the center of our world from the moment we enter it, dazzling us with their love. They introduce us to life itself, fulfill our needs and teach us how to navigate in the world. Recognizing them as individual human beings is rare because we simply do not get the opportunity to observe them in the moments that shaped them. No Surrender is the story of how Chris Edmonds discovered his father Rodney Edmonds’ uncommonly sterling character.As a very young man, Rodney, aka “Roddie” enlisted in the US Army nine months before the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. By January 1943, he has been promoted four times and is master sergeant communications chief. Two months later he is training some of the men he will later serve with at the Battle of the Bulge and during their containment in POW camps in Germany. Chris Edmonds’ journey to his father’s past started with discovering a cigar box containing Roddie’s diary from the war years, prompted by his daughter Lauren’s desire to write about her grandfather for a school project. Like millions of others who fought in that war, Roddie had put away reminders of that experience and determined to live in the present. Combat had taught them there is no promise of tomorrow and your next breath could be your last, so appreciate NOW. While Googling his father’s rank and name, expecting to be taken to a national war archive of some kind, Pastor Edmonds found instead a story about Richard Nixon. The former president was being shunned from buying an apartment in NYC and an attorney named Lester Tanner stepped in and sold his 12-room town house to Mr. Nixon, despite sharp political differences between the two men. In the article about his actions, Mr. Tanner mentioned that he was inspired by a brave officer, Roddie Edmonds, whose defiance of a POW camp commandant saved the lives of many men. Despite this bombshell revelation, it was a few years before Chris actually focused on discovering his father’s wartime experience – life was busy! In the mid 1980s, he met with Lester Tanner in New York. Chris was stunned to hear Mr. Tanner declare that in his opinion Roddie Edmonds should get the Congressional Medal of Honor. What follows is a fascinating story of the teenaged and very young adult men who placed their lives in jeopardy during the Second World War. No Surrender covers not only Roddie Edmonds’ story but those of the men he served with. This book should not be dismissed as just another WWII story because it is much more than that. It goes into depth about the men’s six-month experience in Europe – which seems much longer, given everything they endured – and gives more details than I have read elsewhere about the horrifying atrocities committed by German soldiers against the Allies, especially American GIs. It also extensively covers their recovery after their camp was liberated by Patton’s Third Army, the first POW camp liberated by the Allied Forces. The authors detail the refeeding of men who were 60 or more pounds underweight. Well-meaning people allowing them to gorge themselves on goodies learned that too much of a good thing could prove deadly. In subsequent POW and concentration camp liberations, they knew to limit food intake initially and concentrate on physical examinations and documenting experience, in preparation for war crime charges. No more platters of doughnuts served to starved men. For his uncommon bravery in defying the German camp commandant not once but twice, Roddie Edmonds was eventually honored by Israel as Righteous Among the Nations, being the first American nominated for saving American Jews. Righteous are non-Jews who risk themselves in order to help a Jew. I don’t want to say in this review what Roddie did – it would ruin it for future readers of this book. Even without his WWII heroism, Roddie’s story is a great read – one of the millions of his generation who just got on with life despite the horrors he encountered in his young life and always chose to do what he saw as the right thing based on his faith in God.I gave this book five stars because it is extremely well written and reads more like a thriller than a biography. Despite all the books I have read about World War II, I learned much in No Surrender. The authors’ detailed accounts of daily life for the American POWs in Germany were startling to me. A little more than half the book is dedicated to that. It is stunning to me that they could survive that, but then they came back home and readjusted to “normal” life. They did not seek nor expect high praise for their service, just did what they saw as their duty.

A great story that is part history and part biography about an unassuming father who, unbeknownst to his son, was a war hero. The quiet heroism that his father had, which to him could have been categorized as just "doing my job," was quite moving. The son never knew the story as his father died without ever telling it. His son pieced the story together after his daughter had an assignment in school that started the journey.At a certain point, we all have the opportunity to make a stand, and he did, saving many lives as a POW in WWII. A great story, a great man of faith, and a great example to us all.

There are many World War II memoirs listed on Amazon and Goodreads- and a Google search will have you scrambling through 112 million results. There probably aren’t millions of memoirs, but I am thankful that there are many, because each person who served on the Allied side has an amazing story to tell. And these stories must be told soon, while we still have the veterans or their families to tell them. Christopher Edmond’s search for the details of his father’s World War II service is a uniquely positive and uplifting read, even though the details are harsh and horrifying. The book is written in a clear and friendly style and is a pleasure to read.The author recalls that his Dad Roddie was scrupulously fair and was known as a “square shooter”. But his Dad also had a fun side and would light up a room and warm everyone’s heart with fun and laughter. Roddie was a sincere Christian and ended family prayers by saying, “Lord, help us help others who can’t help themselves.” He loved to sing hymns in church and coach his son’s little league team. Growing up, the author had no clue about his Dad’s service during World War II. Like many men who returned from the war, Roddie wanted to get on with his life and have a home and family. The author did know that his Dad had served as a Master Sergeant in the US Army, 422nd Regiment of the 106th Infantry Division- the Golden Lions. It wasn’t until his daughter had to do a school project, that he and his family began to look closely through his Dad’s war memorabilia and study his Dad’s diaries from 1944-45. The author felt a strong pull to search for the men who had served with his father, or their remaining families, to learn more about his Dad’s experiences during the Battle of the Bulge and subsequent capture by the Germans and imprisonment in a POW camp. Fortunately, some of Roddie’s Army buddies were still alive and the author met with them and finally heard the grim details and bravery of his father.Roddie’s service to the Army and duty to his men of all faiths teach us that one person can always make a difference. And that’s why the author is sharing the story of his father’s message around the world, a message of the transformative power of love, selfless sacrifice and moral courage. Roddie was a secure, grounded and prepared young man, and he was able with God’s help to do the impossible. The story of Roddie’s months overseas and his son’s search to learn about it 75 years later is incredible. Master Sergeant Roddie Waring Edmonds of Knoxville, Tennessee would be posthumously highly honored for his World War II heroism, in 2015. He saved 1500 of his men, men who were in their early twenties at the time and who would go home to live long lives filled with careers, marriage, children, grand-children and great-grandchildren. I thank all of the men and women who have served in the Armed Forces and I salute the “Greatest Generation.” I highly recommend this book.Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers Harper One for a digital advanced review copy. This is my honest review.

Excellent story of extraordinary faith and courage.

The story of one man uncovering his late father’s wartime experiences through his diaries and interviews with fellow soldiers would be interesting to anyone fascinated by World War II or family history. It is also a story of deep faith, faith that sustained through the worst of times and uplifted and endured long after overcoming adversity. If you were moved by the story of Oskar Schindler, you will find this memoir equally powerful. How one very young, inexperienced sargeant displayed incredible bravery and protected an entire camp of American POWs through the worst conditions of internment in a German prison camp is a remarkable story. Add to that the moral courage he showed in defending the Jewish soldiers in that camp, and you will see how the efforts of one individual can change the course of history. One warning. Your progress in finishing this book will be impeded as you stop frequently to wipe your eyes.

No Surrender by Christopher Edmonds and Douglas Century is a gripping historical memoir like no other I have read before. Books about World War II are available everywhere you turn right now but this is one you should really pick up and read. After his passing, Edmonds goes on a journey to find out all he can about his father, who was a prisoner of war of the Nazis during World War II. This is a look into the experiences of not only Edmond's father but also those who he served with and whose lives he saved. He grants us a look into the life of a remarkable man, a hero, that lived his life not only for himself, but in the service of others without looking for recognition for doing so. I highly recommend this read!