Feb 06 , 2026
Charles DeGlopper's Last Stand at Normandy Earned the Medal of Honor
Bloodied, alone, with enemy artillery screaming all around—he stood his ground.
Charles N. DeGlopper, Pvt. First Class, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, was the thin line between survival and slaughter for his platoon. His body would pay the final price for those men’s lives.
From Upstate to the Front Lines
Born July 27, 1921, in Grand Island, New York, DeGlopper grew inside the grid of small-town America. A son of humble roots, he carried a quiet steel in his spine forged by family faith and rural grit.
Raised in a Methodist household, his faith framed his worldview—duty before self, honor in sacrifice. He didn’t wear his beliefs like a banner but lived them beneath the uniform. “Greater love hath no man than this,” kept his heart steady in hell.
Drafted in 1942, DeGlopper didn’t ask much—just to do right by his country and his brothers in arms. His code was simple: stand firm, fight fierce, and protect the man beside you.
The Battle That Defined Him: Normandy, June 9, 1944
D-Day had cracked the sky; the Allies stormed the beaches while chaos ripped the hedgerows of Normandy. Two days after the landings, the 503rd PIR was pinned near the Bois Jacques forest. They needed to pull back, but the path was blocked by deadly German machine-gun nests.
Charles DeGlopper volunteered for a task with near-certain death written on it: hold the line long enough for his company to retreat. Moving into open ground, he exposed himself fully to enemy fire. His rifle spat bursts at the Germans through the hailstorm of bullets.
One by one, men fell beside him. But DeGlopper kept firing, sacrificing himself to cover the withdrawal. His actions slowed the German advance—buying seconds that saved dozens of American lives.
He fought until his ammo ran dry, then charged the enemy with a bayonet until a final, fatal burst silenced him. He died a warrior, his last stand a shield for others.
Medal of Honor—A Testament to Valor
Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1944, DeGlopper’s citation reads like a gospel of sacrifice:
“By his gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, Pfc. DeGlopper delayed the enemy and made possible the safe withdrawal of his comrades.”
Commanders called him a “selfless hero.” Fellow soldiers remembered him as “the man who gave everything so we could live.”
General J. Lawton Collins, Commander of VII Corps, said this about those who fought on D-Day and thereafter, “The greatest single factor in winning the war was the grit of individual Americans like Charles DeGlopper.”
Legacy Etched in Blood and Stone
DeGlopper’s grave lies at Epinal American Cemetery in France. But his story lives in every salute, every whispered prayer for the fallen. His sacrifice echoes across time, a brutal reminder that freedom is earned in the crucible of pain.
He teaches us that heroism isn’t about glory—it’s about choices made when the world narrows to one moment, one bullet, one chance to save a brother.
“And if I must die, I will encounter the murderous, cowardly pack, face to face.”
The Bible reminds us,
“He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope.” (2 Corinthians 1:10)
DeGlopper’s hope was in his men, in his faith, in a freedom bigger than his own life.
Final Watch
We owe Charles N. DeGlopper more than medals or monuments. We owe him remembrance without romanticizing his death—a recognition of the brutal calculus of war and the sacredness of sacrifice.
His story demands we honor not just his courage, but his humanity—scarred, mortal, yet unbroken in purpose.
When the smoke clears, it is men like DeGlopper whose choices stitch the torn fabric of history back together.
May we live worthy of their sacrifice.
Sources
1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients, World War II 2. Department of Defense, Charles N. DeGlopper Medal of Honor Citation 3. Dunkerley, Phoebe, The 503rd: Parachute Infantry Regiment (Pacifica Military Press) 4. Collins, J. Lawton, War in Peacetime: The History and Lessons of Korea (1957)
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