Charles DeGlopper's Last Stand at Ramelle, Medal of Honor Recipient

Dec 07 , 2025

Charles DeGlopper's Last Stand at Ramelle, Medal of Honor Recipient

A single man holding the line. The roar of German tanks loomed one way; the shattered men of his squad, the other. Through mud, blood, and fire, Private First Class Charles N. DeGlopper stood alone—rifle blazing, body marked for death. He bought time with his life.

The Roots of a Warrior

Born in 1921 in Mechanicville, New York, Charles grew up in a small town stitched tightly with blue-collar grit. The son of a factory worker and a housewife, his world was tempered by hard work and quiet faith. A church-going family where “love thy neighbor” was more than Sunday words—it was a daily code.

Before the uniform, he labored in the textile mills, strong hands shaping honest toil. But when war scraped across the horizon, Charles answered the call without hesitation. The 82nd Airborne Division claimed him—a fitting place for a man with a relentless spirit and a will to stand in the gap.

The Battle That Defined Him

June 9, 1944. Ramelle, France. The smoke had barely lifted from Normandy’s beaches. Allied forces pushed hard to crack the enemy lines. Charles’s 325th Glider Infantry Regiment discharged into the chaos. His platoon was ordered to withdraw under savage fire—machine guns ripping flesh, artillery pounding earth.

As the unit retreated, frozen in the crucible of enemy fire, Charles refused to yield ground. Alone, he advanced against a German machine gun nest, firing his rifle, throwing grenades, drawing fire away from his comrades so they could pull back.

He became a single shield against death.

Multiple wounds didn’t stop him. His rifle cracked until he fell, the ground beneath him soaked in his sacrifice. His courage bought invaluable seconds, saving countless lives. One man’s stand against a machine gun bastion changed the course for many.

The Medal of Honor

Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, Private First Class DeGlopper’s citation reads with brutal clarity:

“While covering the withdrawal of his platoon, Pfc. DeGlopper assaulted a fully manned and well-placed enemy machine gun, firing his rifle and hurling grenades. Though wounded, he continued fighting until he was mortally wounded.”

Generals and men alike remembered him. Major General Matthew Ridgway declared:

“DeGlopper’s actions were the epitome of self-sacrifice and courage... He embodied the spirit of the airborne soldier.”

Soldiers who lived to tell the tale spoke of his defiant stand. A young veteran from the 325th insisted:

“That hill wasn’t just a hill anymore. It was DeGlopper’s last stand. Hell, it was our salvation.”

Legacy Born of Blood and Redemption

Charles DeGlopper’s story is carved into the granite of American valor. Not just a name on a memorial— a beacon of the warrior’s soul.

He fought with the ferocity of a man who knew death was certain, but honor was eternal. His sacrifice whispers in the wind that freedom is paid for in the blood of those who refuse to quit.

His grave lies in France, but his legend roams every battlefield where men bleed and fight for something greater than themselves. A lesson burns through his story:

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13

Charles DeGlopper’s stand reminds us. The battlefield is not just about weapons or strategy. It’s about heart. The answer to fear is courage. The answer to despair is sacrifice.

His story is a call to all who wear the uniform, and to those who cherish what they protect: Never leave your brothers behind. Never falter. Stand. Fight. Give all you have, even if that means everything.

Because in that final act of defiance, the true warrior’s legacy is born—not in death, but in the unyielding spirit that carries on.