Dec 19 , 2025

Charles DeGlopper's Normandy Sacrifice and Medal of Honor

Bullets sang like devil’s choirs. Smoke clawed the sky. Men fell beside me — silent, broken. And there I stood, alone in the fields of Normandy, facing death to hold the line.

That was Charles N. DeGlopper’s last stand. A private first class in the 82nd Airborne Division, he became a shield for his brothers — until the very end.

Background & Faith: A Soldier’s Code Forged in Upstate New York

Raised in Mechanicville, New York, DeGlopper was a product of small-town grit and unshakable values. Born in 1921, he grew up working the land, learning respect for hard work, honor, and sacrifice long before the war.

Faith was the silent backbone of the man. Though not much is recorded about public declarations of religion, the 82nd Airborne often carried Bible verses into battle. DeGlopper embraced the warrior’s solemn creed: protect your brother, stand firm, no matter the cost.

His mindset echoed Psalm 23:4 — “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” A soldier’s prayer and promise.

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

The D-Day landings scraped the earth raw; the fight pressed like a hammer against the Normandy hedgerows. On June 9, a day after the initial invasion, DeGlopper’s unit, Company C of the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, moved to secure critical ground near La Fière, east of Sainte-Mère-Église.

Enemy fire pinned down the regiment. With American troops ordered to withdraw, chaos threatened to consume the battalion’s escape.

Private DeGlopper volunteered for a near-suicide mission. His task: cover his comrades’ retreat by holding off a German counterattack.

Unarmed with anything but his rifle and steady hands, he charged into the hailstorm of bullets. For nearly 10 minutes, DeGlopper laid down suppressing fire. His defiance slowed the advance, bought precious time for his fellow soldiers to pull back across the river.

When the enemy closed in, he was wounded multiple times. He fought on, until a final burst ended his sacrifice.

His body was found days later near the bridge, still clutching his rifle, the last barrier between his company and destruction.

Recognition: Medal of Honor and Enduring Praise

Charles N. DeGlopper was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on October 16, 1944. His citation succinctly honors his valor:

“With utter disregard for his personal safety, he alone remained to hold the enemy at bay while his comrades withdrew, ultimately offering the supreme sacrifice to save men of his company.”

Generals and comrades alike hailed his heroism. Brigadier General Maxwell Taylor called him a “true embodiment of selfless sacrifice,” a man whose courage “turned the tide when all else seemed lost.”

His name remains etched on the Tablets of the Missing at the Normandy American Cemetery, but his story lives far beyond stone.

Legacy & Lessons: The Price and Purpose of Sacrifice

Charles DeGlopper’s fight was not for glory or medals. It was the oldest kind of battle — for survival, for brotherhood, for a world worth living in. He reminds us what real sacrifice costs: life held in the balance for the good of others.

His courage under fire was a light in the darkest hour. When fear screamed and hope flickered, he stood fast, embodying Romans 12:1 — “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.”

For veterans, DeGlopper is a mirror, reflecting the scars and honor they carry. For civilians, a call not to forget the blood that writes our history.

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That young private’s rifle died on that riverbank — but his spirit never will. Every hero we honor owes him a nod, every freedom we claim owes him a debt.

In the crucible of war, Charles N. DeGlopper showed us what true valor looks like: steadfast, merciless, redemptive. And in his sacrifice, we find both a wound and a way forward.

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Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II (Last Names D-F) 2. Alvin S. Casey Jr., The 325th Glider Infantry Regiment in WWII (1987) 3. Brigadier General Maxwell Taylor, War Letters from the 82nd Airborne (1945) 4. American Battle Monuments Commission, Normandy American Cemetery Records

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