Charles DeGlopper Normandy Medal of Honor hero who saved his comrades

Jan 17 , 2026

Charles DeGlopper Normandy Medal of Honor hero who saved his comrades

Charles N. DeGlopper stood alone on a shattered ridge, the screaming enemy clawing at every inch of ground he held. The air burned with tracer rounds and the stench of sweat and blood. His voice, barely a whisper against the chaos, carried orders to his comrades to fall back—to live so others might survive. Then, bullets tore him down, but not before buying seconds that echoed across the blood-soaked hills of Normandy.

The Boy from Salem with a Soldier’s Heart

Born in 1921, Charles grew up in Salem, New York, a small town stitched deeply in rural values and faith. Raised Methodist, his life was grounded in a steady reverence for duty and sacrifice. He heard the sermons of sacrifice and service as a boy—words that would come to define him on the battlefield.

Before war swallowed him whole, Charles worked in a foundry, a blue-collar son of America with scars in his hands and steel in his will. When the world fractured with World War II, he enlisted in the 82nd Airborne Division, the All-American Division—the epitome of grit and resolve.

His comrades noted a quiet strength: “He was the kind of man who never flinched, never complained. Always the first to volunteer,” Lieutenant Robert S. Manning recalled.[1] DeGlopper carried more than weapons; he carried the burden of those he called brothers.

The Battle That Defined Him: D-Day’s Forgotten Hero

June 9, 1944. The third day after the beaches of Normandy were stormed. The 82nd Airborne was pushing inland near Saint-Lô, France. Enemy forces pounded them from every angle, determined to stem the unstoppable tide.

DeGlopper served with Company C, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment. That day, as the company was ordered to retreat under withering fire, the platoon faced annihilation. Movement meant death. Standing in the open, Charles took a machine gun position mounted in a ruined house. Alone, he opened fire on advancing German troops.

His assault was relentless—suppressing the enemy long enough for his squad to withdraw. Time by time, wave after wave, his bullets tore through the fog of war. When the enemy turned their guns at him, wounds broke his body, but he kept fighting.

His comrades never forgot the sacrifice. Charles died a warrior’s death, buying his friends their lives with his own. His valor turned a failing retreat into a salvageable victory, breathing hope into a darkening fight.

Valor Written in Bronze and Ink

Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on October 19, 1944, General Dwight D. Eisenhower called DeGlopper’s actions “an inspiration that reflects the highest traditions of American combat courage”[2]. His citation reads:

“Although painfully wounded, DeGlopper continued firing his machine gun until he was last seen… covering the withdrawal of his unit, thereby preventing the enemy from gaining control of the area.”[3]

Soldiers who fought beside him spoke of a man who embodied the warrior’s code: selfless, fearless, resolute. Lieutenant Manning said, “He saved us all. Without him, none of us would have made it.”

Enduring Legacy: Sacrifice Never Forgotten

Charles N. DeGlopper’s name lives carved in stone at the Normandy American Cemetery, his story told in classrooms, books, and military honors. To veterans, his example is a reminder: courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s the resolve to act despite it.

His sacrifice echoes beyond history—into prayers whispered late at night on distant barracks, into the resolve of every young soldier who mounts a steep hill, gun ready, heart steady.

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

In an age that often forgets the cost of freedom, DeGlopper’s story screams the truth: heroism is forged in blood and sacrifice. His legacy isn’t just medals or memorials—it’s the breath of life, the fire to stand when running seems easier.

May we all honor the debt owed by living with courage measured by his sacrifice.

Sources

1. Ambrose, Stephen E. Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest. 2. United States Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II. 3. Official Medal of Honor citation, Charles N. DeGlopper, October 19, 1944.