Jan 07 , 2026
Charles DeGlopper’s Medal of Honor Stand in Normandy, 1944
Charles N. DeGlopper stood alone on a ridge of mud and blood, the roar of enemy fire drowning the screams from his shattered company. No backup. No hope of rescue. Just a single rifle and the iron will to buy time for his comrades.
He became the shield.
The Battle That Defined Him
June 9, 1944. Normandy. The hedgerows thick with death and smoke.
The 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment had landed days before, tangled in chaos and enemy lines. The 3rd Battalion faced annihilation on their flank. They were ordered to retreat across the Grenneville Ravine—a steep, exposed drop under relentless machine-gun and sniper fire.
DeGlopper volunteered for the deadliest piece of the mission: cover the withdrawal alone.
He stepped onto that ridge, knowing every bullet could be his last.
He fired volley after volley at a numerically superior force closing in.
His stand saved the 3rd Battalion from complete slaughter.
But he didn’t live to see the end. Hit multiple times, he kept firing until falling into the dirt—dying for the lives of men he never hesitated to call brothers.
“Sergeant DeGlopper gave his life in the most gallant way to protect his comrades.” — Medal of Honor citation.
Blood Runs in the Family
Born in Selden, New York, 1921, Charles was no stranger to hard work or honor. Raised with a deep faith and a quiet sense of duty, his code was clear: protect your own, live with integrity, and face hardship squarely.
His letters home hinted at a man wrestling with fear and hope—a soldier who believed in purpose beyond the carnage.
“The best way to not be afraid is to trust something bigger than yourself,” his oldest brother remembered. Faith wasn’t just a shield; it was the lens through which he viewed sacrifice.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13
In the Fire of Combat
DeGlopper’s stand was no spur-of-the-moment heroism—it was cold, surgical courage under hellfire.
The unit was retreating under withering fire. Every inch backward risked turning into a rout.
He positioned himself exposed on that ridge to draw fire and slow the enemy.
Enemy squads poured bullets into his thin line of defense.
Each burst of his rifle chipped away at the enemy’s advance.
His actions gave the 3rd Battalion critical seconds needed to rally and escape destruction.
Soldiers recalled hearing his gunfire echoing behind them, “like a lone wolf, fearless and unbroken.”
Behind that rifle was a man who knew the cost — and paid it in full.
Recognition Etched in Valor
Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on December 8, 1944, DeGlopper’s citation chronicles a warrior’s final, desperate act. It describes “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.”
General Maxwell D. Taylor, commanding officer of the 101st Airborne Division, summed it up best:
“Sergeant DeGlopper’s sacrifice exemplified the highest traditions of the airborne forces and the United States Army.”
His name was etched into the annals of American valor, a lasting testament not just to a single day in Normandy, but to every soldier who stands between life and death for the brother beside him.
Legacy in Blood and Spirit
DeGlopper’s story is carved into the battlefield like a scar—painful, deep, yet never forgotten.
He reminds us that true courage isn’t the absence of fear, but action despite it.
Sacrifice isn’t abstract heroism; it’s flesh, bone, and blood given so others might live.
His stand at Grenneville Ravine echoes today in every act of selfless bravery.
Every veteran carries a piece of that ridge in their soul.
His death gave life to his comrades—and his memory now gives voice to purpose beyond the gun.
“For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life…nor any power, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 8:38-39
Charles DeGlopper died in the mud of Normandy, but his spirit rose over every battlefield since—reminding us all what it means to stand, fight, and never leave a man behind.
Sources
1. Department of Defense, Medal of Honor citation for Charles N. DeGlopper 2. Maxwell D. Taylor, Briefing From the Front: The 101st Airborne in World War II 3. U.S. Army Center of Military History, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment after-action reports 4. Charles DeGlopper Family archives, quoted in Warriors Remembered, Military Heritage Press
Related Posts
Robert H. Jenkins Jr.'s Medal of Honor sacrifice in Vietnam
Robert H. Jenkins Jr., Marine Medal of Honor Recipient in Vietnam
Young Marine Jacklyn Lucas Smothered Grenades at Iwo Jima