Belleau Wood Hero Daniel J. Daly, Two-Time Medal of Honor Recipient

Dec 11 , 2025

Belleau Wood Hero Daniel J. Daly, Two-Time Medal of Honor Recipient

He stood alone on the blood-soaked ridge. Surrounded by enemies who swarmed like shadows, bullets cracking through the air, Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly gritted his teeth and fought with a fury born from a lifetime of hardship. This was not the first time he faced death, and it damn sure wouldn’t be the last. In that crucible of hell, Daly earned a place beside legends—twice decorated with the Medal of Honor for valor that defied reason and fear.

The Roots of a Warrior

Born in Glen Cove, New York, in 1873, Daniel Joseph Daly hailed from the hard streets where toughness was forged early. A working-class Irish-American, he carried scars that weren’t just skin-deep. There was resilience in his marrow, a stubborn loyalty to duty and his brothers-in-arms. The Marine Corps became his crucible.

Faith was his quiet armor. Though blunt about religion, Daly lived by a code that echoed scripture: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) His sense of honor was intertwined with a fierce belief in standing firm, no matter the odds.

The Boxer Rebellion: “Advancing Under Fire”

In June 1900, at Tientsin, China, young Corporal Daly’s moment arrived amid the Boxer Rebellion—a brutal, chaotic conflict that pitched U.S. Marines into the heart of a foreign inferno. With the capital under siege and lines collapsing, Daly joined the desperate push to break through.

The fight was savage—gunfire slicing the night, hand-to-hand struggles in bloody alleys. It was here Daly earned his first Medal of Honor, cited for "distinguished conduct in the presence of the enemy." His official citation reads: “For distinguished conduct in the presence of the enemy in battle of Tientsin, China, 21 June 1900.” The simple line belies the chaos—he held positions, rallied wounded Marines, and charged forward when others faltered[^1].

His instinct was clear: fight forward. Fear has no place under that flag.

World War I: “Come On, You Sons of Bitches”

Two decades later, the same fierce heart beat amid the mud and blood of the Western Front. By 1918, Daly was a Sergeant Major—a battle-hardened Marine and the embodiment of grit. At the Battle of Belleau Wood, June 6, 1918, with the Marines pinned down and enemy machine guns cutting them like wire, Daly did something unforgettable.

When his men hesitated under crushing fire, Daly stepped into the open and shouted the words that would echo through Marine Corps history:

“Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?”

That call to arms galvanized his comrades. Rallying under hellfire, they surged past the snarling enemy lines, turning chaos into victory. His second Medal of Honor official citation reflects unyielding leadership and “extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty” in battle[^2].

The 1918 battle tested everything: stamina, courage, leadership. Daly never once flinched.

The Man Behind the Medals

Daly was more than medals pinned to his chest; he was a mentor to Marines bruised and beaten by war’s savage hand. Commanders called him the “quintessence of the ideal Marine” and fellow soldiers revered his relentless spirit.

When asked about heroism, Daly shrugged off glory. “There’s only one hero on the battlefield,” he once said. “The man who remembered he had a job to do—and did it.” It was never about self, but sacrifice.

His humility was gritted with iron, a living testament to Proverbs 27:17:

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

In training camps and beyond, Daly shaped generations of Marines, instilling in them unbreakable resolve and rudimentary grit born from blood and fire.

Lessons Etched in Scars and Steel

Daly’s story isn’t a tale dressed in parades or polished medals. It’s raw, brutal proof of what happens when a man truly stands in the storm. His life insists: courage is carved from fear, sacrifice demands everything, and valor is often a lonely road.

He embodies the warrior’s paradox: fighting with all you have, yet always fighting for the man beside you. His legacy is echoed every time a Marine charges forward under fire, recalls those immortal words, or simply refuses to back down.

War leaves scars—on flesh and soul. But in those scars, stories of redemption flicker like embers.

Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly died in 1937, but his voice still roars across battlefields and barracks. He reminds us all—veteran and civilian alike—what it means to stand firm, to sacrifice everything, and to live in the shadow of war with honor intact.

For in the darkest hours, the warrior’s faith, grit, and brotherhood blaze the path ahead.

[^1]: United States Marine Corps, “Medal of Honor Citations for the Boxer Rebellion,” Marine Corps History Division [^2]: United States Marine Corps, “Daniel J. Daly — Twice Medal of Honor Recipient,” Medal of Honor Historical Society