Charles DeGlopper's One-Man Stand That Won the Medal of Honor

Nov 19 , 2025

Charles DeGlopper's One-Man Stand That Won the Medal of Honor

He was the last line standing—alone against a storm of bullets. Charles N. DeGlopper held his ground at the Chateau-Thierry bridge on a brutal July morning in 1944, knowing every heartbeat could be his last. Behind him, his comrades ran for their lives. Ahead, death waited like a shadow ready to swallow hope whole. And still, he fired. He bought their escape with his life.

Roots of Sacrifice

Born in Mechanicville, New York, Charles was a steelworker’s son who grew up on grit and honest toil. Raised in a devout family, faith was his anchor. The kind of faith that doesn’t just shape words but steels the bones for hard days in hellish places.

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

That scripture was more than ink on paper for DeGlopper—it was a creed. Honor, courage, and sacrifice weren’t abstractions. These values shaped the man who would step into the breach when others faltered.

The Battle That Defined Him

July 18, 1944. France, the hedgerow warfare of Normandy had chewed up many a man. The 82nd Airborne Division, DeGlopper’s unit, pushed hard towards the Marne River, hitting brutal resistance near the village of La Fière several miles east of Saint-Lô.

The mission: secure a vital bridge across the Mellette River near the town of Four, in the vicinity of the Marne, to prevent a German counterattack and enable the rest of the division to advance.

Enemy forces poured machine-gun, rifle, and mortar fire into the open clearing. Pinned down, the American troops began to fall back. Their retreat threatened to become a rout.

DeGlopper was a rifleman with Company C, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment. When the command came to withdraw, he stayed behind.

He laid down suppressive fire with a Browning Automatic Rifle—alone—drawing the enemy’s focus. He kept shooting until his ammo emptied and the Germans zeroed in. Then, he picked up a rifle and continued the fight, firing until he was mortally wounded.

His sacrifice slowed the enemy advance long enough for his battalion to retreat safely across the bridge.

Those last moments—a one-man stand in a hail of bullets—etched his soul into eternity.

A Medal Earned in Blood

DeGlopper’s Medal of Honor citation is a blueprint of selflessness:

“With utter disregard for his own safety, he stood in the face of continuous enemy fire to cover the withdrawal of his comrades, firing his automatic rifle until wounded… continued firing with a rifle until he was killed.”

Captain Lee Bray, his commanding officer, later said:

“DeGlopper's devotion and bravery helped save many men. His action was the difference between many being captured or killed and many being able to fight another day.”[1]

He became the first member of the 82nd Airborne Division to receive the Medal of Honor in World War II.

The Bloodied Bridge & Its Living Memory

The bridge DeGlopper covered wasn’t just road and metal. It became a symbol of sacrifice under fire. In 1946, the Charles N. DeGlopper Memorial Bridge was dedicated in his hometown—a guardian of memory for those who pay the highest price.

His story reminds veterans and civilians alike that courage isn’t the absence of fear, but choosing to stand in the face of it.

War sculpts men, but few leave behind legacies like DeGlopper’s. A man who saw his duty, honored his brothers-in-arms, and paid with his life so others might live.

Redemption in the Ruins

Charles DeGlopper’s stand on that shattered bridge speaks across time:

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.” (Isaiah 41:10)

His blood writes a testimony on the battlefield’s broken canvas—a testimony that valor is borne of sacrifice, and redemption is forged where duty meets despair.

This is the gospel of the warrior’s heart.

Veterans carry scars that no medal can fully honor. But through stories like his, we remember what true sacrifice looks like—and why we honor it, not just for glory, but for the lives spared and the freedoms preserved.

Charles N. DeGlopper died that day not as a victim of war, but as its righteous shield. His riflefire was a prayer. His sacrifice, a legacy.

In the roar of gunfire and the shadow of mortal fear, his soul stayed unmoved.

Sources

1. Department of Defense, Medal of Honor citation: Charles N. DeGlopper 2. Army Historical Foundation, 82nd Airborne Division Combat History 3. United States Army Center of Military History, World War II Medal of Honor Recipients 4. Mechanicville Chamber of Commerce, Charles N. DeGlopper Memorial Dedication