Jan 16 , 2026

Charles DeGlopper’s Medal of Honor sacrifice at Normandy

Charles N. DeGlopper stood alone on a flooded ridge near Normandy, bullets tearing through the rain. His squad was retreating, pinned under the cold German barrel. With no orders, no backup, just grit and pure guts, he fired to hold the line—covering his men until the last breath left his body.

---

A Soldier Carved from Upstate New York Soil

Born in Techertown, New York, on October 12, 1921, Charles Neider DeGlopper was American grit etched into flesh. Raised in a tight-knit farming family, faith was the cornerstone of his life—a quiet, unshakable code. The church offered more than solace; it was a moral compass that guided his every step.

He believed in sacrifice not for glory, but for something greater than himself.

When war called, DeGlopper answered as a Private First Class in the 82nd Airborne’s 325th Glider Infantry Regiment. He carried no illusions. He knew the war would strip everything down to raw survival—and this soldier was ready to stand in hell's fire for his brothers.

---

The Battle That Defined Him: Normandy, June 9, 1944

Two days after D-Day, the Allies pushed south from the beaches, trying to break the deadly German hold. The 325th moved through the hedgerows of France, tightening a noose around a critical German position.

On that soaked morning, DeGlopper’s platoon was ambushed near the village of Graignes. The Germans counterattacked with flamethrowers and machine guns, forcing two companies to fall back in chaos and confusion.

With retreat the only option, one thing remained—someone had to cover the pullback.

DeGlopper volunteered.

Alone, armed with a single M1 Garand, he became a human shield. Every shot he fired was a scream against death, a promise to his comrades that they could live.

The odds were goddamn impossible.

Bullets shredded him. He kept firing.

Five German tanks and at least 40 infantry waved fire down the slope, but he held.

He bought precious minutes—minutes turning back the tide of carnage.

Then, the rifle silenced. Charles DeGlopper died on that ridge, blood mixing with earth and rain.

---

Medal of Honor: Valor Etched in Stone

On February 28, 1945, DeGlopper was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. His citation reads:

“For heroic actions on June 9, 1944… gallantly covering the withdrawal of his unit against overwhelming odds… sacrificing his life to save his comrades.”[^1]

General Dwight D. Eisenhower praised such acts as “the bedrock of victory.” Fellow soldier Sgt. Robert Miller remembered DeGlopper as “a man who faced death screaming down the barrel of a gun and didn’t flinch.”

His sacrifice exemplified what Sergeant Major James Wiley, himself a Medal of Honor recipient, once described:

“True valor is knowing the cost but paying it anyway.”

---

A Legacy of Sacrifice and Redemption

DeGlopper’s blood stains more than soil—it marks the soul of every warrior who stands in the breach for others.

He was one man, isolated amid rain and gunfire, choosing selflessness over survival.

That choice echoes through generations.

His story compels us—veterans and civilians alike—to grasp the real price of freedom—not in speeches, but in blood and bones.

The Charles N. DeGlopper Memorial on the Normandy battlefield stands as a silent sentinel. It reminds every visitor that courage is not a moment but a lifetime of choices.

---

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

In a world quick to forget, DeGlopper’s sacrifice screams a truth no enemy could silence: Courage is sacrifice. Sacrifice is love. Love is legacy.

---

[^1]: U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II

---

Older Post Newer Post

---