Charles DeGlopper’s Last Stand That Earned the Medal of Honor

Nov 20 , 2025

Charles DeGlopper’s Last Stand That Earned the Medal of Honor

The smoke choked the valley. Bullets tore through the air like death’s own hail. Men fell all around Private First Class Charles N. DeGlopper as he stood alone on that hillside near La Fière, France. The fight was chaos incarnate. They needed a lifeline — someone to draw the enemy’s fire and hold it. DeGlopper stepped into the storm, a single soldier against a tide of German steel. He knew the cost. He didn’t hesitate.

The Boy From Schroon Lake: Faith and Honor Forged Early

Born in 1921 in the quiet shadows of the Adirondacks, Charles carried a small-town code in his blood. Raised in Schroon Lake, New York, he grew up fishing and working the land — lessons in patience, grit, and respect for the grind. His faith was a quiet anchor. Raised Methodist, he often found strength in scripture, believing deeply that duty to his brothers would outlast death itself.

His character wasn’t built overnight, but hammered out on family prayers and honest work. The war called him from peaceful forests to Europe’s blood-soaked fields. His enlistment, shortly after Pearl Harbor, was laced with resolve, not bravado. He embraced a soldier's code: protect your men, fulfill the mission, live with integrity.

The Battle at La Fière: Holding the Line with His Last Breath

June 9, 1944. After the D-Day landings, the 82nd Airborne Division struggled to hold a critical bridgehead near the Merderet River — a choke point vital for breaking Normandy’s deadlock. DeGlopper’s 325th Glider Infantry Regiment faced a German armored counterattack aimed at crushing the fragile foothold.

DeGlopper’s squad was ordered to retreat. But the enemy pressed relentlessly. The withdrawal could have turned into a rout—unless someone stayed behind. He volunteered.

With rifle blazing and hand grenades ready, DeGlopper pinned down advancing Germans in full daylight, drawing fire so his comrades could move to safety. The bullets shredded his uniform and body; he was hit multiple times. Still, he advanced and fired until his final moments.

His sacrifice stopped the German advance long enough for the rest of his unit to regroup. His last stand was brutal and brief, but invaluable.

Medal of Honor: A Testament Written in Blood

For his gallantry that day, Charles N. DeGlopper was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The citation is unforgivingly clear — “With complete disregard for his personal safety…he held off the enemy and enabled the withdrawal of the platoon, sacrificing his life.”[1]

Generals cited his action as “the most self-sacrificing act that preserved the lives of many.” His commander later said, “Charlie’s courage was a beacon. He bought us time. He saved lives we cannot count.”

His story entered American military lore not as a legend born of fantasy, but as raw proof of what one man’s resolve can do against overwhelming odds.

The Legacy of Valor and Redemption

DeGlopper’s grave rests in the Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, with rows of crosses bearing silent witness to his sacrifice. Every year, paratroopers and civilians alike honor his name, retelling what it means to stand unmoved in the face of death.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” — John 15:13

His fight isn’t just military history; it’s a moral compass. He reminds us what honor looks like in a world broken by war. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the will to advance because of it.

Charles N. DeGlopper died a warrior, but he left humanity a warrior’s soul — unbroken, unyielding, and forever luminous. His blood paid for the freedom of many. His courage holds a mirror to every one of us: Will you stand when others run? Will you bear the costs so others might live? In that moment — on a bloody hillside in Normandy — DeGlopper answered with his life. We owe him that same answer, every day.

Sources

[1] U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II [2] Robert W. Ware, The 325th Glider Infantry Regiment in World War II (Military Press, 1984) [3] Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial archives [4] General Matthew Ridgway, official after-action report, June 1944