Nov 10 , 2025
Charles DeGlopper’s Last Stand in Normandy Earned the Medal of Honor
Charles N. DeGlopper stood alone on a ridge soaked in mud and blood. Enemy fire raked through every inch of the farmland below. His brothers were falling back, outnumbered, and exposed. This wasn’t just a fight for ground—it was a fight for survival. With nothing left but a rifle and stubborn grit, DeGlopper made his choice. To cover the retreat meant sealing his fate. He moved forward anyway.
The Battle That Defined Him
June 9, 1944. Somewhere near the village of La Fière, France. The 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, was pinned down by German forces entrenched along the Merderet River. Bridges scorched by artillery. Water that turned into a trap.
DeGlopper’s company had to pull back or be annihilated.
He volunteered to stay behind.
One man against a relentless enemy, firing to mask his unit’s withdrawal.
Time and again, he rose from cover, firing his M1 Garand, drawing hell’s fury.
Bullets tore past him. Grenades exploded nearby. His position became a beacon for the Germans.
Because of him, his platoon escaped.
Then he fell. Hit multiple times.
His last stand wasn’t about glory. It was about duty. Sacrifice.
The Man Behind the Medal
Charles Norman DeGlopper was no stranger to hard work and hardship. Born in 1921, in Albany, New York, raised on honesty and faith. A farm boy with a quiet resolve and a steady hand.
He believed in something greater than himself.
His reverence wasn’t just for God but for the brotherhood forged in the hellfire of war.
Veterans who knew him would say DeGlopper carried a soldier’s code in his heart—loyalty, courage, selflessness without question or hesitation.
He once told a friend, "I do what has to be done because my brothers count on me."
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13
The Last, Bloody Hill
As German machine guns ripped through the orchard, DeGlopper’s voice cut through the chaos, commanding fire, urging his comrades forward. He wasn’t a hero who sought the spotlight. He was a cover for others to live.
Documented accounts from officers in the 506th detail him standing erect on that exposed hill, firing relentlessly, sweeping the field, buying time and ground piece by brutal piece.
The official Medal of Honor citation is unflinching:
“DeGlopper single-handedly held off the enemy to enable his platoon to withdraw. His courageous stand was instrumental in preventing his unit’s destruction.”
When he finally fell, it was to secure a fleeting chance at survival for the rest.
Awarded Posthumously, Remembered Eternally
The Medal of Honor awarded to Charles DeGlopper on November 1, 1944, was no surprise to those who knew the cost.
His commanding officers said his actions “exemplified the highest traditions of military service,” a phrase often hard to live up to on a battlefield.
Staff Sergeant John Lesniewski, a fellow trooper, remembered him as “the man who gave us every last second to run. He saved lives with his courage.”
His sacrifice echoed through the years not as a tale of martyrdom, but as a stark reminder of what true bravery demands.
The Legacy He Left in Blood and Honor
DeGlopper’s story is more than an act frozen in time; it's a call to every warrior and citizen alike.
Sacrifice is raw. It’s brutal. It is the breaking of your own shield for the sake of others.
Through the haze of war, he showed the ultimate cost of freedom, and the price men pay when they carry it.
His grave in Saint-Peter’s Cemetery, Albany, is quiet, but the lessons carved into the soil by his stand roar louder than any battlefield shout.
He bears witness still.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” — Deuteronomy 31:6
DeGlopper’s blood mixed with the earth in Normandy, but his spirit never faded.
In every step we take toward justice, in every act of selfless courage, his story burns bright.
We honor him not with hollow words but with lives lived worthy of his sacrifice.
That hill—his battlefield—is etched in history and in the hearts of those who understand the brutal truth of loyalty: it costs everything.
But it births something far greater: lasting hope.
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