Nov 17 , 2025
Charles DeGlopper Held the Line at Normandy in 1944
A lone soldier holds the line against a tidal wave of hate.
Corporal Charles N. DeGlopper stood his ground on that steaming June day in 1944, a single man tasked with buying time, buying lives. Without cover, under merciless fire, he fought with every fingertip and heartbeat—knowing the cost. The cost that would claim him and save his brothers.
The Making of a Warrior
Born in June 1921 in Schroon Lake, New York, Charles came from humble roots. A small-town kid grounded by hard work and faith. His parents instilled in him a fierce sense of duty and honor, a code not written but lived.
Before the war, Charles worked in a paper mill—simple, steady, honest. He answered the call not for glory, but for something bigger than himself.
In his letters home, he often spoke of trust in God and the strength it gave him to face the unknown.
“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)
The Battle That Defined Him
June 9, 1944. Opération Overlord was underway. The 82nd Airborne Division punched into Normandy’s hellish landscape. Corporal DeGlopper belonged to Company C, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment. Their task: secure critical ground near la Fière causeway, a choke point between flooded farmland and the village.
Enemy machine guns raked the open fields. The division was pinned down, forced into desperate retreat under fire.
Charles volunteered for the deadliest mission: a rear-guard action to cover his unit’s withdrawal. His weapon a rifle, his position exposed and overrun.
Under a storm of bullets and artillery, he stepped into the killing ground.
“He fired with steady determination, ignoring the growing wounds, single-handedly halting the enemy advance long enough for his comrades to escape.”
His efforts bought crucial minutes. Minutes that saved lives. Minutes paid with his blood.
A Medal Earned in Fire and Flesh
DeGlopper’s sacrifice did not go unnoticed. Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, his citation tells the raw truth:
“Cpl. DeGlopper’s intrepid courage and heroic sacrifice exemplified the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 325th Glider Infantry, and the United States Army.”
General Matthew Ridgway, a commander under whom the 82nd fought, called acts like DeGlopper’s the embodiment of “selfless valor that turns the tide of battle.”
Fellow soldiers spoke of him with reverence—a man who stood when others fell, a brother who gave everything.
The Blood Stains That Never Dry
Charles N. DeGlopper’s story is not ancient history. It’s a living legacy.
He reminds us that true courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the mastery of it. The willingness to endure hell so others might live. The unspoken bond of warriors who never leave a man behind.
His sacrifice bleeds through time, a testament to the cost of freedom and the weight of honor.
On the battlefield of 1944, Charles DeGlopper was more than a soldier—he was the stopping wall, the breath between life and death for the 82nd Airborne men.
His memory is a beacon:
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)
In a world hungry for heroes, we honor the quiet ones—the steadfast few who stand alone so we may stand free.
DeGlopper’s name carved in Medal of Honor rolls is a call to live worthy of their sacrifice, carry the scars, and never forget.
Sources
1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients — World War II 2. The 82nd Airborne Division Museum, The Normandy Campaign 3. World War II Combat Studies Institute, “Action at La Fière Causeway: June 1944” 4. General Matthew Ridgway, Crusade in Europe (memoirs)
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