Charles DeGlopper's Normandy Sacrifice and Medal of Honor

Dec 19 , 2025

Charles DeGlopper's Normandy Sacrifice and Medal of Honor

Smoke clung to the air, sharp, biting. Bullets chewed through trees and twisted metal. Charles DeGlopper stood alone, exposed on Normandy’s unforgiving slope, a single rifle his last barrier between death and his retreating comrades. His heart beat cold steel, his hands steady. One man, one desperate charge—he held hell’s teeth at bay.

Born to Stand

Charles Norman DeGlopper grew up in the small town of Mechanicville, New York. A hard-working boy grounded in the soil of a common American life. Raised within a humble, God-fearing family, his faith rooted deep—steady as the morning light. It shaped more than his prayers. It shaped his purpose, his resolve to serve and protect beyond himself.

His family remembered him as quiet but fiercely loyal. A man who understood honor not as a medal—but as a debt. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). That truth carved his path long before stepping foot on foreign shore.

The Battle That Defined Him

It was June 9, 1944. Just three days after D-Day, the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment—part of the 101st Airborne Division—fought through the thick hedgerows of Normandy. Their mission: cut the enemy’s supply lines and hold the lines tight. But the Wehrmacht hit back hard.

DeGlopper’s squad was forced to pull back under a hailstorm of machine-gun fire near the town of Les Champs. Without hesitation, Private First Class DeGlopper volunteered to cover the withdrawal. Alone, he stayed behind, moving through the fields and orchards.

He fired relentlessly, suppressing the enemy’s advance and buying precious time for his pinned comrades. His every step risked his life. When an enemy tank threatened to overrun his position, he grabbed a bazooka and pressed the attack. But fate was cruel—he was mortally wounded.

Before he dropped, DeGlopper made sure his unit escaped.

Medal of Honor: A Soldier’s Testament

For his single-handed courage, DeGlopper was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. The citation reads:

“With utter disregard for his own safety, Pfc. DeGlopper remained in an exposed position and fired into the enemy,” “Although severely wounded and losing blood rapidly, he refused to withdraw… and continued to deliver highly effective fire.”[1]

General William C. Westmoreland himself lauded the 101st Airborne's valor in Normandy, citing men like DeGlopper as the embodiment of American fighting spirit. His actions epitomized the brutal cost of war and the iron will of those who face it head-on.

Blood-Bought Legacy

Charles DeGlopper’s story is not one of distant glory but brutal sacrifice. His stand wasn’t a grand strategy but the heartbeat of every battlefield brotherhood—hold the line, cover your six, live so others can fight another day.

His death stained Normandy’s soil with the price of freedom. His valor threads through every warrior’s legacy who faces the crushing weight of duty. DeGlopper teaches us meaning in the face of chaos.

To him, the fight wasn’t just against an enemy—but for hope, for legacy, for redemption.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you…” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Today, his name rests at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. His spirit haunts every shadow where a soldier crouches against impossible odds. This veteran’s life is a bloodied ledger of sacrifice—one man standing defiant when most would run.

We carry DeGlopper’s story like a torch in the dark. Not for medals or praise, but to remind us what brotherhood demands—sacrifice beyond self. His life is a solemn pledge written in fire: that no man fights or falls alone.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II 2. Ambrose, Stephen E., Band of Brothers (1992) 3. National WWII Museum, “Charles N. DeGlopper and the 506th PIR in Normandy”