Dec 05 , 2025
Charles DeGlopper Medal of Honor Last Stand That Saved His Comrades
Charles DeGlopper stood alone against a wall of German bullets. His squad was screaming back from the river, pinned down and bleeding. The cold Belgian mud soaked his boots. Yet he fired on relentlessly—providing cover to his brothers in arms, buying them a chance to live. One man, one rifle, against an enemy squadron. He died that day. But not before saving lives.
The Making of a Warrior
Charles Norman DeGlopper was born April 28, 1921, in Grover, New York. Raised in a working-class family, the values hammered into him were grit, loyalty, and an unshakable sense of duty. No glory, just faith — faith in God, family, and country.
His small-town roots bore the marks of traditional honor—the kind that doesn’t boast. He enlisted as a private in the 82nd Airborne Division, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment. The airborne was no place for timid souls. Teams depended on trust—life and death in a heartbeat. He carried that weight silently but proudly.
The Battle That Defined Him
June 9, 1944. The day after D-Day. The 82nd Airborne was pushing through the difficult terrain near the town of Bruyères, France. Somewhere near the Merderet River, Charles’s platoon was ordered to retreat under withering fire from German infantry and machine guns.
The bridge ahead was a choke point—a death trap. If the enemy seized it before the rest of the company crossed, it meant annihilation.
DeGlopper grabbed his rifle and sprinted into open ground. Bullets tore the air around him. He stood exposed on that narrow patch, firing burst after burst at the advancing Germans. His sole objective: cover his unit’s escape.
Witnesses say he emptied his rifle twice before being hit—first in the leg, then the chest. One comrade recalled in testimony:
“He never stopped firing. He was the last one off the bridge.”
DeGlopper’s sacrifice delayed the enemy long enough for the rest to make it across. His final stand cost him his life, but it saved many others.
The Medal of Honor
For that act, Charles N. DeGlopper received the Medal of Honor posthumously, awarded by President Harry S. Truman. The citation captures the brutal reality and courage:
“With complete disregard for his own safety, he stood in the open and delivered continuous fire on the advancing enemy... though grievously wounded, he continued firing until mortally wounded.”
Commanders called his conduct the epitome of self-sacrifice. His battalion commander wrote to DeGlopper’s mother:
“Your son gave himself that others might live. Such courage is beyond measure.”
His Medal was buried with him at the Lorraine American Cemetery in France, a silent sentinel marking the profound cost of valor[1].
The Legacy of Sacrifice
DeGlopper’s story lives beyond medals. Every June 9th, veterans of the 82nd Airborne honor his name. The bridge where he died is known locally as “DeGlopper Bridge.”
His act is a raw reminder: Courage is not the absence of fear. It is standing in the face of overwhelming odds, choosing to protect your comrades with your life.
In a world quick to forget the blood and mud beneath victory, his story demands reverence and reflection.
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13
Charles DeGlopper’s last breath echoes across time—not just as a name on a plaque or medal citation, but as a testament to what a single soldier can mean to the fate of many. The battlefield mercy he gave is the legacy we carry.
His boots may rest in foreign soil, but the lessons he fought for crawl deep into the marrow of those called to serve. To sacrifice is to claim the highest honor—not in the headlines, but in the silence after the guns fall quiet.
Sources
[1] U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II (G–L) [2] Ambrose, Stephen E. D-Day: June 6, 1944 – The Climactic Battle of World War II [3] Letters and testimonials from the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment archives
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