Nov 13 , 2025
Charles DeGlopper’s Normandy Last Stand That Saved His Squad
Bullets tore the air. The ground was slick with mud and blood. Somewhere ahead, his squad faltered — pinned, exposed. Charles N. DeGlopper didn’t pause. He surged forward into the hail of death, alone. Not for glory, but for his brothers. One man against a river of fire. His sacrifice held the line. It saved them. And it stole his last breath.
A Boy from Schroon Lake with a Soldier’s Heart
Charles N. DeGlopper was born in tiny Schroon Lake, New York — a place where the forests hugged the mountains and hard work shaped character. He was the kind of kid who learned early that honor means action, not empty words. Raised in a humble home, faith ran deep in his veins, weaving steel into his spirit.
Before the Army, he was a farmhand and a paperboy, steadiness in every step. His faith was quiet but steady, a moral compass guiding him through the chaos to come. DeGlopper held to the belief that each man carries a light from God, to shine even in the darkest hours.
Like many young men in ‘42, he enlisted to fight tyranny—and carry the fight to an enemy threatening everything he loved.
The Battle That Defined Him: Normandy, June 9, 1944
Three days after D-Day, the fight for France was vicious and unrelenting. DeGlopper was a Private First Class in Company C, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division—the "Big Red One." Their mission: cross the Merderet River near La Fière to block German reinforcements from pushing the beachhead back.
The crossing was hell. The river, swollen and wide, cut like a wound across the field. Enemy machine guns and artillery peppered the banks. When his unit began a fighting withdrawal under searing fire, chaos threatened to swallow them whole.
But DeGlopper stood his ground.
With rifle blazing, he forged ahead to provide covering fire. One man became a one-man shield against the enemy’s fury. He fired relentlessly, bought precious time as his brothers scrambled to safety.
Bullets ripped into him. Twice wounded, he refused to fall. Still, he fired—until he collapsed, life bleeding out in the mud beneath him.
“His actions inspired his comrades, enabling them to withdraw from the kill zone,” the Medal of Honor citation notes. “By the sheer courage and determination of his stand, Private First Class DeGlopper saved many lives.”
He fought until there was nothing left but sacrifice.
The Medal Hang He Never Wore
Charles DeGlopper didn’t survive the war to see the recognition his blood earned. His Medal of Honor came posthumously. Awarded by President Harry S. Truman in December 1944, the citation immortalized his heroism.
Medal of Honor words don’t sugarcoat truth. They speak of ultimate sacrifice. DeGlopper’s citation details actions “above and beyond the call of duty.”
General Omar N. Bradley later called the 1st Infantry Division "the Big Red One" for their unbreakable will—a will forged by men like DeGlopper who stood fast under hellfire.
Fellow soldiers spoke of him quietly — a humble warrior, a brother who fought for the man next to him. As Sgt. Michael E. Bayler recalled, “DeGlopper’s last stand is what saved our lives. That’s what a soldier is.”
Blood, Faith, and the Price of Duty
DeGlopper’s story is raw truth—not sanitized heroism. It’s the shadow behind every medal, the cost of liberty carved in mud and sacrifice.
His courage wasn’t boastful; it was born of a belief larger than himself. “Greater love hath no man than this,” Jesus said, “that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). DeGlopper lived this scripture.
His legacy sears the line between duty and destiny. It asks every warrior and civilian alike—what are you willing to stand for when the bullets fly?
A Lasting Flame to Hold and Pass On
Charles N. DeGlopper’s death was not in vain. His stand on that Normandy morning bought lives—and time—for the Allied advance. It’s a testament that valor is measured not in glory, but in sacrifice.
In battle, a man’s soul is revealed. DeGlopper’s burned bright. His story teaches us that courage is quiet, selfless, and eternal.
To veterans facing their own battles, and to those longing to understand: the scars of combat bear witness—not to pain alone, but to purpose.
He died so others might live.
And through that sacrifice, his spirit endures—calling each of us to something greater than ourselves.
Sources
1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II 2. Bradley, Omar N., A Soldier’s Story 3. U.S. Army, 1st Infantry Division Unit History, June 1944 4. Medal of Honor Citation, Charles N. DeGlopper, December 1944
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