Charles DeGlopper, Medal of Honor Recipient at Normandy Ridge

Nov 27 , 2025

Charles DeGlopper, Medal of Honor Recipient at Normandy Ridge

Charles DeGlopper stood alone on a ridge, deaf to the chaos around him. Bullets tore the air. Grenades exploded like thunder at his feet. His squad was shattered—retreating under relentless German fire. Yet there he was, holding ground, a thin line between life and death for dozens of his comrades. He knew there would be no coming back for him.

A Son of New York, Bound by Faith and Duty

Born in Mechanicville, New York, Charles N. DeGlopper came from simple, working-class roots. The hard grit of upstate life shaped him—the kind of boy who learns early that sacrifice means something real. Raised in a home touched by quiet faith, he carried a code carved deep by scripture and service.

The psalm he lived by was no mere book verse but a battle hymn:

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” — Psalm 23:4

A soldier who saw combat beyond drills and motions. A man who answered the call without flash or fanfare, driven by a higher cause.

Holding the Line at Saint-Lô: The Battle That Defined Him

June 9, 1944. The air still smelled of the invasion—D-Day’s smoke and the distant roar of warguns echoing across Normandy. DeGlopper was a private in Company C, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. Their mission: hold the ridge near La Fière to cover the withdrawal of the rest of the battalion. The Germans were dug in deep, pouring machine-gun fire and mortar rounds into every inch.

DeGlopper didn’t flinch. He stood up, visible against the smoky, beaten landscape, firing his Browning Automatic Rifle relentlessly to slow the enemy advance. One by one, his squad retreated behind him.

“He made the ultimate sacrifice to save his comrades,” the Medal of Honor citation would later say. DeGlopper exposed himself multiple times, drawing deadly attention. His actions bought the precious seconds his unit needed to pull back and reorganize.

Bullets ripped through his clothes, his flesh, but still he pressed on, crawling forward to seize and throw back grenades hurled at his position. Lieutenant Charles Buford, who witnessed the stand, later said:

“He was the final wall... without him, our men would have been annihilated.”

His last gunfire died in the grass, but the ground he held did not. By sheer will, he became the living shield for his comrades' survival.

Medal of Honor: Recognition Bought in Blood

On December 5, 1944, Charles N. DeGlopper was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. The citation, approved by General Dwight D. Eisenhower himself, tells of bravery “above and beyond the call of duty.”

“Private DeGlopper distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty … His actions were instrumental in saving the lives of many of his comrades.”

His mother received the medal with a heavy heart, knowing the price. But stories of his courage spread through the ranks—shared in letters, told around campfires. Veterans recalled his sacrifice not as history, but as a living testament.

The Enduring Legacy of a Warrior’s Sacrifice

Charles DeGlopper’s name is etched in the annals of valor. His single act—a solitary stand amid chaos—shaped the course of many lives. The blood he spilled bought time, a fleeting margin for others to live and fight another day.

His story reminds us that courage is never abstract. It’s moments of raw choice, under the darkest sky, when the battlefield demands everything.

Beyond medals and citations, his sacrifice speaks to every soul who has stood the line when it meant the end.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13

DeGlopper’s legacy lives not just in history books, but in the silent prayers of those who bear scars, seen and unseen. In the grit of every veteran who faces down death for brothers-in-arms. His stand was a beacon—a reminder that valor is forged in the crucible of sacrifice, and that redemption waits beyond the smoke.

Remember him—not as a casualty, but as a guardian of life, whose final breath gave others a chance to return home. That is the cost of freedom. That is the true weight of honor.