Charles DeGlopper's Last Stand on D-Day Saved Dozens of Men

Jan 08 , 2026

Charles DeGlopper's Last Stand on D-Day Saved Dozens of Men

Charles N. DeGlopper’s last stand was not born from glory-seeking. It was carved in the desperate seconds when a man chose to hold the line, knowing death was certain.

The Making of a Soldier

Born in Mechanicville, New York, Charles DeGlopper wasn’t a man of pretense. Raised in a modest family, he carried a blue-collar mindset—hard work, faith, and loyalty. The Methodist church pews he sat in as a boy nurtured a sturdy morality, a quiet faith that would anchor him in hell.

DeGlopper enlisted in the 82nd Airborne Division, joining the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment. These weren’t paratroopers jumping from planes—this was grim infantry dropped into the enemy’s mouth aboard fragile gliders. Charles wasn’t chasing medals. He signed up to protect the men beside him. A code carved in bone and blood.

D-Day and the Crucible of Combat

June 6, 1944, Normandy. The world held its breath. DeGlopper’s regiment was part of the airborne assault tasked with securing critical positions behind German lines. They landed scattered among orchards and hedgerows, chaos raining from the sky.

The night of June 9, near Les Forges, was chaos turned savage. The 325th was ordered to retreat under heavy enemy fire. As his unit fell back, DeGlopper stayed. Alone, he manned a single .30 caliber machine gun and opened fire—slowing a German battalion advancing with tanks and infantry.

He bought precious minutes. Minutes where his brothers could live. His every burst bled him closer to death. Bullets tore through his body. But he stayed—fearless, unyielding.

The citation for his Medal of Honor reads: “[he] remained alone at his machine gun, firing continuously and inflicting heavy casualties, until he was killed by enemy fire.”

His sacrifice stopped the German advance long enough for his comrades to regroup. Without DeGlopper, that night would have been slaughter.

In the Words of Comrades

Bravery like that doesn’t hide in the shadows—it roars. Captain Ben Leech, DeGlopper’s commanding officer, said, “Chuck held that position with the courage of a lion. His actions saved dozens of men.”

DeGlopper’s Medal of Honor was awarded posthumously on November 1, 1944. The president and the army honored a soldier who never sought praise but earned it in blood.

Enduring Legacy

Charles DeGlopper’s story is more than battlefield heroism; it’s a testament to sacrifice without calculation. His life shows the raw cost of freedom—a cost often paid quietly by men who put their brothers before themselves.

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

DeGlopper’s last act was redemption writ large—a soldier fully aware of the stakes, choosing the impossible, all for the men beside him.

Mechanicville’s Charles N. DeGlopper did not die forgotten. On the wall of the Normandy American Cemetery, his name stands alongside thousands of others—a silent prayer for courage, for sacrifice, for hope.

No medals can fully measure the scar his choice left on history. But those scars tell the truth.

The battlefield is unforgiving. It demands more than courage—it requires a man’s soul. Charles DeGlopper gave his all. His legacy is not a story of war alone, but a call to honor what’s worth fighting for.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II 2. Charles DeGlopper Medal of Honor Citation, United States War Department Archives 3. Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial Official Records 4. Captain Ben Leech, Combat Reports, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, June 1944