Dec 21 , 2025
Charles DeGlopper, Normandy Hero Who Earned the Medal of Honor
Blood and mud. The roar of artillery shelling tearing through the chaos. Somewhere in those infernal moments, Charles N. DeGlopper stood alone, a phantom silhouette against a hellish tide of German infantry. His rifle coughed fire nonstop, a one-man shield holding back the Germans while his comrades fell back—alive because he refused to quit.
The Early Days: A Quiet Resolve
Born in 1921, Charles DeGlopper was a son of Fultonville, New York—a small-town boy raised on grit and unshakable values. Work hard. Protect those who rely on you. These were not just words but a code etched into his marrow. Before the war, he worked the land and streets, living the kind of life that hardens a man without breaking him.
His faith was private but firm. Like many soldiers, he carried a quiet hope—something bigger than the bullets and the bloodshed. In the midst of hell, that faith often became the thin line between despair and purpose.
The Battle That Defined Him: Normandy, June 9, 1944
Three days after D-Day, the 28th Infantry Division pushed inland. DeGlopper, a private first class in Company C, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division—The Big Red One—found himself part of a brutal fight near the French village of Guilbert.
The enemy launched a ferocious counterattack. Under heavy fire, American forces began a chaotic retreat. DeGlopper was ordered to cover the withdrawal.
He could have fallen back with the rest.
Instead, he faced down a force of advancing Germans—rifle, machine gun, and murderous storm of grenades—alone. Standing exposed on an open hill, he fired white-hot bursts from his M1 Garand, buying precious minutes.
His platoon and adjacent units could pull out. Lives saved by the guts of one man who knew the odds.
The enemy closed in, pushing past him with brutal tenacity. DeGlopper was mortally wounded. But he died still firing. Still fighting.
His sacrifice echoed across that Normandy battlefield—a quiet thunder that would not be forgotten.
The Medal of Honor: A Story Written in Blood
Posthumous Medal of Honor awarded June 18, 1945.
The citation reads:
“Pfc. DeGlopper’s conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty exemplify the highest traditions of the military service.”
General Omar Bradley said of the 1st Infantry Division's Normandy actions:
“The Big Red One ripped through the enemy defense with the ferocity of veterans, forged with deeds like DeGlopper’s.”
Comrades remembered him as the “man who never flinched.” One rifle. One heart. One unyielding stand.
Redemption Through Sacrifice
War makes gods of men like DeGlopper, carved from agony and purpose. His story is one of the ultimate code—no man left behind, no ground surrendered without a fight.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13
His actions embody this scripture—not just words on paper but blood-truth.
DeGlopper’s stand was not in vain. It was a beacon for every soldier in the chaos of war, a reminder that courage is a choice forged in flesh and fire.
A Legacy Etched in Valor
Charles N. DeGlopper’s name lives on—etched on a monument at the Normandy American Cemetery, honored at the Fultonville Memorial, and taught in the pages of infantry history.
But beyond medals and monuments lies the harsher truth: courage costs everything.
His story reminds us all—veterans and civilians—that freedom often rides on the shoulders of the willing to bleed for others’ chances. Valor is not a relic; it’s a living, breathing testament to sacrifice and redemption.
DeGlopper died a man who knew why he fought. The rest of us owe it to him to remember—and to live by the price he paid.
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