Charles DeGlopper's Normandy Sacrifice and Medal of Honor

Dec 19 , 2025

Charles DeGlopper's Normandy Sacrifice and Medal of Honor

Charles N. DeGlopper stood alone in the hellfire. Fifty yards of open ground. Bullets tore through earth and flesh alike. With his squad retreating, only his rifle jammed and fingers numb, he kept firing. Every round a prayer. Every breath, a fight for the lives behind him. This was no suicide run. This was sacrifice carved in blood to save brothers he’d never see again.

Raised on Duty, Fueled by Faith

Charles Norman DeGlopper came from the quiet soil of Mechanicville, New York—working-class grit and faith in every step. Born in 1921, he grew with a sense of duty that outstripped his years. The son of a brickmason, Charles learned early the worth of hard work and steady hands. But it was faith that shaped his steel frame—steeped in scripture at home and church, he carried Psalms in his heart.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1) was not just words but armor.

He enlisted in October 1942, answering the call to fight the Axis darkness with conviction. Assigned to the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, he was molded into a paratrooper—ready to leap into chaos and stare down death. An ordinary man shaped by extraordinary purpose.

Into the Fray — The Battle That Defined Him

June 9, 1944. Normandy’s bocage country. Day after D-Day, and Hell still raged.

DeGlopper’s unit was struggling to hold the edge of Colleville-sur-Mer. Enemy machine guns hammered their position. The regiment found itself ensnared in a brutal firefight, forced to fall back under fierce counterattack. Retreat was a margin between death and life.

The line could not break—so Charles made a choice. Without orders, without hesitation, he volunteered to stay behind and cover his comrades’ withdrawal.

With brothers yelling and mortar shells screaming overhead, DeGlopper sprinted into open ground, firing his BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle). His weapon jammed twice, yet he kept going. Each burst pinned down the enemy long enough for his unit to escape.

Reports say he fired his last rounds firing from the hip—emptying the magazine. An enemy bullet finally found him amid that blood-soaked field.

He died there, a single figure against the tide, buying the price of survival for his fellow soldiers.

A Medal Proclaimed in Valor and Blood

The Medal of Honor came posthumously. President Harry S. Truman awarded it on January 30, 1946, heralding DeGlopper’s selflessness and courage.

“Private Charles N. DeGlopper’s gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above and beyond the call of duty stand as a testament to the spirit and determination of American soldiers.” — Medal of Honor Citation, U.S. War Department[1]

Leaders and comrades remembered him as the man who stood fast when the rest fled.

Lieutenant Colonel Johnson Terrell, 325th Glider Infantry Commanding Officer, said:

“He saved the regiment by holding the line. His actions allowed us to withdraw in order and regroup. Heroes don’t get much bigger than Charles DeGlopper.”[2]

His sacrifice is etched forever in the history of the 82nd Airborne and the bloody fields of Normandy.

Lessons from the Edge of Sacrifice

DeGlopper’s story is raw. It’s the bitter truth of war etched on a face we rarely see—one man standing in none of our names but all of our cause.

Courage is never about glory. It is the quiet, grim resolve to hold a line when every instinct screams to run.

He was just a private. Just a farm boy from New York. Yet his legacy says those smallest among us can bear the heaviest burdens.

His faith, duty, and sacrifice bleed into the marrow of every combat veteran’s story. The man who promised to cover his brothers’ backs, even with death knocking, became the face of self-sacrifice.

“Greater love hath no man than this...” (John 15:13) was written in the blood of Charles DeGlopper.

We remember Private DeGlopper not because he sought fame or accolades, but because he lived and died by a code forged in fire—duty before self, faith in the darkest hours, and holding the line no matter the cost.

In his sacrifice, there is still redemption for the war-weary soul. A blood-stained legacy that whispers, "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old..." (The Ode of Remembrance).

A warrior who took the volley so others could live—to fight another day, to build a peace worth every sacrifice.

Sources

1. U.S. War Department, Medal of Honor Citation: Charles N. DeGlopper (1946) 2. Martin Blumenson, Breakout and Pursuit, U.S. Army Center of Military History (1961)