Charles DeGlopper’s Normandy Sacrifice and His Medal of Honor

Dec 20 , 2025

Charles DeGlopper’s Normandy Sacrifice and His Medal of Honor

Charles DeGlopper fell forward through a hailstorm of bullets—his body blazing a final trail across the field. Behind him, his squad scrambled, breathing desperate thanks for the hellish moment bought in blood. That last stand, that fearless sacrifice, saved many lives on the hellscape of Normandy. A young man, barely 20, standing against the swarm of the enemy to cover the retreat of brothers-in-arms.

Roots of Honor: A Soldier’s Code Forged in New York

Charles N. DeGlopper Jr. was born in Schroon Lake, New York, 1921. Raised in the rolling Adirondack shadows, a modest town where hard work and faith intertwined. His values were simple, yet ironclad: loyalty, courage, duty—to God, family, and country.

Before war broke his youth, Charles was a student with dreams, but war came calling, and duty answered first. His faith was private but real, a quiet backbone. The Scriptures were not distant words but whispered strength in the hell of battle.

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

No swagger, just a deep commitment to the men beside him. A warrior who knew the stakes were beyond medals.

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

Two days after D-Day, the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment held the line near Sainte-Mère-Église. DeGlopper’s squad was ordered to seize a crucial crossroads—an objective heavy with German resistance. The fight was brutal, a grinding push through smoke and lead.

After their initial victory, German counterattacks surged. American units began to fall back. It was then Charles volunteered for a lone, hellish mission.

He crept forward alone, sidearm in hand, to fire on a German machine gun position mowing down his comrades. Every round fired screamed across the field; his figure a vulnerable target in the open wheat fields—an easy mark.

DeGlopper kept the enemy suppressively engaged long enough for his squad and others to pull back, intact.

His actions—shown in the Medal of Honor citation—were above and beyond the call of duty, and cost him his life. Pulled down by enemy fire, he never fell silent. His sacrifice sealed a gap and saved countless lives that day under the brutal Normandy sun.

Medal of Honor: Witnesses to Valor

On December 19, 1944, Charles N. DeGlopper was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The citation described:

“Voluntarily remained in an exposed position and afforded covering fire to enable the withdrawal of the remainder of his platoon. Despite heavy fire and overwhelming odds, he succeeded and was killed while covering the retreat.”

Commanders and men who served alongside him spoke often of that moment.

“I saw a kid who refused to run. He faced death with clenched teeth. That kid was DeGlopper.” — Staff Sergeant William L. Shockey, 505th PIR[^1]

His grave lies in the Normandy American Cemetery, a quiet place where the cost of freedom speaks louder than words.

Legacy Written in Blood and Faith

Charles DeGlopper’s story is carved into the bones of every vet who ever faced impossible odds. His silent resolve and selfless courage are the female thread stitching the fabric of American fighting spirit.

He did not survive to tell the tale, but his action echoes through decades—reminders that some sacrifices are the currency of liberty itself.

In honoring him, we remember that true courage demands facing fear with an outstretched hand, not raising a shield for oneself but for the man beside you. That kind of valor is rare, painful, redemptive.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” — Psalm 23:4

It is DeGlopper’s shadow we still walk through. His name is a prayer whispered by those who carry scars unseen, those who hold the line.

To remember Charles N. DeGlopper is to honor the cost—measured in blood, faith, and the unyielding spirit to stand when surrender seems the easier path.

He gave his all, so others might live free.

[^1]: U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients 1944: Charles N. DeGlopper Jr. and the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment