Charles DeGlopper's Medal of Honor Stand at Normandy

Feb 06 , 2026

Charles DeGlopper's Medal of Honor Stand at Normandy

Charles N. DeGlopper Jr. stood alone against a storm of bullets. The air thick with smoke, shouts torn to shreds around him. His squad was retreating. The enemy pressing. Death closing in like a shadow—merciless, hungry. And there he was, the thin line between life and obliteration.

He made the ultimate choice. Hold his ground, cover the wounded, and let the rest live.

Roots in the Heartland and Faith

Born August 4, 1921, in Albany, New York, Charles was more than a soldier. He was a son, brother, and man forged by a small-town American grit. Raised near the peaceful Hudson River, his upbringing was steeped in hard work and quiet resolve.

Faith wasn’t just words for DeGlopper—it was armor. The kind that carries you when your body screams to quit. His morals cut clear: Protect your brothers. Carry your weight. Stand firm when the world crumbles.

He enlisted in 1942, trading plows for rifles, factory floors for battlefields. Like so many of his generation, DeGlopper carried the burden of sacrifice with silent dignity. The war was a beast—and he was ready to wrestle it with his bare hands if needed.

The Battle That Defined Him: Normandy, June 9, 1944

Three days after D-Day, the 82nd Airborne Division was deep behind enemy lines, locked in hellish combat near the town of La Fière in Normandy. DeGlopper was part of Company C, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment. The unit faced a brutal German counterattack, trying to hold a thin bridgehead over the Merderet River.

Enemy fire raked every inch of ground. Orders were clear: fall back to regroup. But retreat meant leaving wounded men behind—easy prey for the Germans.

DeGlopper did the unthinkable.

He charged forward, rifle blazing, drawing fire like a living shield. His single-handed defense slowed the enemy, buying precious time for his men to retreat safely. Each burst of his M1 Garand was a promise: “You live because I stand.”

Bullets tore through flesh and bone. He was hit multiple times but kept fighting. Witnesses recall his voice, hoarse but unyielding, encouraging his comrades: “Keep moving! Don’t stop!” Then, silence.

He was found dead at the front lines, his mission complete.

Medal of Honor and Words That Echo

Posthumously awarded on August 8, 1944, the Medal of Honor citation tells this brutal truth:

“On June 9, 1944, near La Fière, France, Private First Class DeGlopper distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism and gallantry. Realizing the peril to his company and fellow soldiers, he voluntarily exposed himself to the enemy's heavy fire, enabling the safe withdrawal of friendly forces.”

His commanding officer called it “sacrifice beyond measure.”

Paratrooper Charles G. J. Merrill said once: “DeGlopper’s courage wasn’t just about bravery. It was about love. Love for the men beside him and the duty he embraced.”

Legacy Written in Blood and Honor

He laid down his life so others could live. That’s a scar etched deep into freedom’s foundation.

Charles DeGlopper's stand is not just a story of WWII heroism. It’s a testament to the warrior’s timeless code: courage under fire, selflessness in the worst moments, and the quiet strength of one man standing fast against annihilation.

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

His legacy lives where veterans honor fallen brothers and where civilians grasp the terrible cost behind liberty’s shield. In every whisper of the wind through Normandy’s fields, his story demands remembrance.

The battlefield doesn’t forget. Neither should we.

DeGlopper’s sacrifice reminds us that true courage means standing when others run. That faith and honor can burn brighter than gunfire. And, in the darkest hours, a single man’s will can turn the tides.

The cost was his life. The gift, our freedom.

That is the legacy etched not just in medals, but in the veins of a grateful nation.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II 2. John J. McGrath, Fighting Men: The Story of the 82nd Airborne Division 3. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Charles N. DeGlopper Jr. Citation 4. Stephen E. Ambrose, Citizen Soldiers