Nov 27 , 2025
Charles DeGlopper's Medal of Honor Sacrifice at La Fière
Charles DeGlopper stood alone between death and his brothers. The roar of German 88s thundered around him; bullets carved the earth at his feet. Every man behind him scrambled to safety—except one. With a single M1 rifle, raw courage, and a bleeding heart, DeGlopper became the shield that saved a company from chaos.
Born of Grit and Quiet Faith
Charles Newburgh DeGlopper came from a small town—Glens Falls, New York. A blue-collar kid, raised with strong hands and an iron will. No fanfare, no grand ambitions beyond loyalty, honor, and protecting those beside him. He carried something deeper than pocket crosses or worn Bibles. It was a bedrock faith and unwavering code—duty first, no retreat.
This wasn’t about glory. It was about purpose, something sharper than steel. His mother and father instilled this: sacrifice for the greater good, no matter the cost.
“Greater love hath no man than this,” he might have lived by those words, even if he never spoke them aloud.
John 15:13
The Battle That Defined Him
June 9, 1944. The days following D-Day spelled brutal attrition in Normandy, France. DeGlopper was a corporal in Company C, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. Their orders: seize critical ground near La Fière to break the enemy's grip on the Cotentin Peninsula.
But hell had other plans.
The company was pinned down, ripped apart by fierce German fire—machine guns and artillery shelling in unrelenting waves. The men started pulling back, the line fraying, almost breaking.
Instead of retreating, DeGlopper stayed. An island of defiance.
He exposed himself—crouching, firing, moving. A running, firing target, drawing hell’s eyes. His M1 rifle barked, ripping through the chaos to hold the enemy at bay. He bought time. Minutes stretched like hours. Men dug holes, regrouped, slipped behind him.
With every shot, every grunt, DeGlopper slowed the German counterattack. His bravery was born in the crucible of desperate battle, where seconds meant life or death. His stand didn’t just delay the enemy; it saved his company from slaughter.
Minutes later, he was fatally wounded. But by then, his brothers were safe, organized, alive.
Honors Wrought in Blood
Corporal Charles DeGlopper died that day. Fifty years later, in 1946, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The citation is stark and pure: "He stayed behind and manned a machine gun while his company withdrew, deliberately exposing himself to annihilate the enemy and save his comrades."
Major Howard C. Dallman called DeGlopper “a man who refused to accept death without exacting a toll on the enemy.” Fellow soldiers remembered him as a quiet warrior — no boast, no resentment, only a fierce will to protect.
His sacrifice typifies a truth every veteran knows:
Courage is not the absence of fear, but the resolve to stand when others fall.
Legacy of Sacrifice and Redemption
DeGlopper’s story doesn’t end in Normandy. It echoes in every combat phase where one man’s sacrifice saves many. His stand teaches something eternal—courage is measured in selflessness.
He paid the price for his brothers. His name marks a place on the war memorial near La Fière Bridge, a silent testament. But the scars he leaves are far from silent. They speak to every warrior’s soul.
Our combat veterans carry wounds—visible and invisible—but also an unbreakable bond with those they saved and those who saved them.
In a world hungry for heroes, DeGlopper’s example is raw and true:
The highest calling is sacrifice for others, even when the odds scream "run."
"The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil." — Isaiah 57:1
Charles Newburgh DeGlopper’s legacy is a whisper in the thunder of war—a promise that sacrifice will not be forgotten. That brotherhood will not fail. That courage lights the darkness before the dawn.
His blood was spilled so others could live—and we owe him that much. We owe him everything.
Related Posts
James E. Robinson Jr. Awarded Medal of Honor at Leyte for Valor
Charles N. DeGlopper’s Normandy sacrifice and Medal of Honor
John Basilone, Medal of Honor Marine Who Held the Line