Charles DeGlopper, Medal of Honor Hero at Normandy

Jan 19 , 2026

Charles DeGlopper, Medal of Honor Hero at Normandy

Charles DeGlopper stood alone in a hailstorm of bullets and grenades. His squad vanished in retreat, but he stayed put. Shouting to his comrades, firing his rifle from the hip, he laid down suppressive fire on a Nazi strongpoint that threatened to obliterate his whole platoon.

He was the last line. And he fell—murdered by death’s cold hand—so his brothers could live.

The Making of a Soldier

Born May 5, 1921, in Mechanicville, New York, Charles N. DeGlopper carried a quiet strength that belied his youth. Raised in a modest home during the Great Depression, his youth forged by hard work and community grit, DeGlopper inherited a code deeper than medals—a sense of duty carved by faith and family.

He believed in something greater. Honor. Sacrifice. Redemption. As Psalm 144:1 declares:

“Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.”

DeGlopper enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942, joining the 82nd Airborne Division’s 325th Glider Infantry Regiment. He traded quiet fields for the chaos of global war. From boot camp to the front, his heart never wavered.

The Battle That Defined Him

June 9, 1944. The invasion at Normandy was bloodied but ongoing. DeGlopper’s company moved toward the critical Le Mesnil-Patry crossroads near Saint-Lô. Enemy machine guns and mortars made the ground a killing field.

The 325th was pinned down, unable to advance, under furious counterattacks. Retreat was necessary—but deadly.

DeGlopper’s platoon began to pull back, but he refused to leave his post. With a rifle and grenades, he manned a tiny knoll. Alone, he poured continuous fire into the enemy, drawing their focus and giving his platoon the cover to escape.

Evading dozens of bullets, he charged at enemy gunners, throwing grenades with reckless bravery. His actions delayed the German advance long enough for his comrades to reach safety.

All while taking tremendous fire, Charles DeGlopper was mortally wounded, collapsing on the battlefield—but not before buying life for his brothers.

Recognition Etched in Valor

For this supreme act of courage, Charles N. DeGlopper received the Medal of Honor posthumously. His citation tells the unvarnished truth of his sacrifice:

“While covering the hand-to-hand withdrawal of his squad, he alone remained exposed to heavy fire from a numerically superior enemy force. By his gallant and tenacious stand, he delayed the enemy’s advance, enabling his comrades to escape a trap.”

General Matthew B. Ridgway, commander of the 82nd Airborne, called such valor the “highest form of self-sacrifice.”

DeGlopper’s name is etched on the Tablets of the Missing at the Normandy American Cemetery. His helmet lies beneath foreign soil soaked with the blood of freedom.

Legacy of Courage and Redemption

Charles DeGlopper’s story is not about glory. It is about the brutal, raw edge of sacrifice that carves lasting meaning from the chaos of war. His single act of defiance against overwhelming odds embodies the warrior’s covenant: To cover another’s fall, even to death.

His life warns us that courage is not the absence of fear, but action forged in the furnace of fear.

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13

DeGlopper’s sacrifice is a beacon that still burns in the cold night of combat’s legacy—a constant reminder that every veteran’s scars are prayers answered in blood. His example commands reverence.

In remembering Charles DeGlopper, we honor all who stood and fell silently, so that freedom might live.

The battlefield is still stained, still sacred. And every story like DeGlopper’s whispers the truth: sacrifice echoes into eternity.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients - World War II 2. Ambrose, Stephen E., Pegasus Bridge: June 6, 1944 (Simon & Schuster) 3. Normandy American Cemetery, American Battle Monuments Commission 4. The 82nd Airborne Division Association archives