Charles DeGlopper’s Sacrifice at Merderet River in Normandy

Jan 17 , 2026

Charles DeGlopper’s Sacrifice at Merderet River in Normandy

He stood alone on that shattered hill, under blistering fire. Enemy bullets ripped the air, carving death around him. But Charles N. DeGlopper Jr. never flinched. With every pull of the trigger, he bought seconds—precious seconds—for his comrades to regroup and live. Seconds he would never see again.

Blood and Honor: The Making of a Warrior

Charles was no stranger to hard work and quiet resolve. Born in 1921, in Greenville, New York, he grew the kind of faith that hardened like steel in his bones. Raised in a modest community, where church bells rang clear and the Bible was a daily guide, he carried something far heavier than a rifle—a moral compass tuned to sacrifice and service.

His friends remembered a man who lived by a simple code: protect those beside you, no matter the cost. The kind of man who’d pray before battle and carry the scars of his brothers long after the last bullet rang out.

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

The Battle That Defined Him

June 9, 1944. Just three days after D-Day, on the deadly banks of the Merderet River in Normandy, DeGlopper’s 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment was pinned down by a ruthless German counterattack. The terrain was mud, blood, and broken dreams.

As his unit retreated, chaos swallowed the line. DeGlopper took a stand—a lone rifleman against the entire enemy advance. Moving into open ground, fully exposed, he fixed his bayonet and opened fire.

Over and over, DeGlopper’s rifle barked. His desperate stand slowed German forces, breaking the tide long enough for his platoon to escape the killing ground.

He was hit. Twice. And still, he kept firing.

His last act was a wall of bullets shielding his retreating brothers. That gritty defiance—carved in the dirt and smoke—cost him his life.

Recognition Etched in Valor

Charles N. DeGlopper’s valor was posthumously honored with the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration. His citation speaks not only of courage but of the burden of sacrifice carried by a single man to save many.

“He gallantly gave his life to save his comrades.” — Medal of Honor Citation, 505th PIR, 82nd Airborne Division[1]

Leaders who knew him called him a living testament to endurance and brotherhood. Staff Sergeant Herbert Millington, a historian of the division, remembered DeGlopper not just as a soldier but as the embodiment of selfless courage.

In a letter honoring him, Major General Matthew Ridgway lauded his “conspicuous gallantry” against “heavy odds,” a phrase dry on paper but drenched in the blood of a battlefield.

Legacy of a Fallen Warrior

Today, a bridge near his hometown bears his name—the Charles DeGlopper Bridge—spanning the Merderet, a silent sentinel over waters stained with sacrifice.

His story presses on in airborne drill instructors teaching new generations. “Be like DeGlopper,” they say. “Stand when scared. Fight when alone.”

His sacrifice teaches hard truths about war: heroism demands loss. Freedom commands cost.

We carry their stories not because they died, but because they lived with purpose. Their scars mark the path to redemption.

“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said… ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” — Acts 20:35

Charles N. DeGlopper Jr. was not a legend to be lionized from a distance. He was a man who bled for his brothers and paid the ultimate price. His story isn’t just history—it’s a raw testament to what a single human heart can endure and still choose to protect.

His sacrifice screams in the silence left behind. It calls on us—veterans and civilians alike—to remember that redemption lies in the scars we bear for others. And above all, honor means action. Stand guard for the forgotten. Fight for the fallen. Live worthy of their gift.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History + Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II (Charles N. DeGlopper Jr. citation) 2. 82nd Airborne Division Archives + The Screaming Eagles in Normandy 3. Greenville Historical Society + Charles DeGlopper: A Hero Remembered