Charles DeGlopper's Sacrifice at Normandy and Medal of Honor

Nov 10 , 2025

Charles DeGlopper's Sacrifice at Normandy and Medal of Honor

Blood on the hillside. A line breaking, men screaming, and Charles N. DeGlopper standing alone—rifle blazing. The air thick with smoke and death. No orders but the unyielding drive to save his comrades. His sacrifice etched forever in the annals of valor. This is the raw truth of a soldier who put life and limb on the line to hold back the tide of hell.

Roots of a Warrior

Charles Neil DeGlopper was born on March 28, 1921, in Malone, New York. A simple man from humble beginnings, raised in a tight-knit community where faith and duty ran deep. The son of a working family, Charles learned early that honor was more than words—it was a lived reality. His strong moral compass was forged by a firm Christian upbringing, one that anchored him in the chaos to come.

His enlistment in the U.S. Army in 1942 was no spur-of-the-moment decision. It was a commitment etched from a sense of purpose beyond himself. “Greater love hath no man than this...” (John 15:13) pulsed in his spirit before he ever touched the battlefield.

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

Two days after D-Day, the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division found itself pinned against impossible odds near Graye-sur-Mer, Normandy. Their objective: hold back a ferocious German counterattack and safeguard a critical bridgehead.

DeGlopper’s unit was overwhelmed. Men fell back one by one as enemy fire tore through their ranks. Amid the chaos, Sgt. DeGlopper took a rifle and stood his ground on a slope, fully exposed. With deliberate and deadly suppressing fire, he slowed the German advance—buying crucial time for his platoon to retreat and regroup.

He fired from an open position, every shot a hammer blow to the enemy. The Germans zeroed in, and he was hit multiple times but stayed upright—legacy carved in blood. When he finally collapsed, he had drawn enough fire to save scores of fellow soldiers.

Medal of Honor: Valor Beyond Measure

For his unyielding courage, Charles N. DeGlopper was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:

“Sgt. DeGlopper was instrumental in saving his platoon and his heroic act exemplifies the highest traditions of the military service."

Maj. Gen. Matthew Ridgway, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, called DeGlopper’s action “one of the most gallant and self-sacrificing acts of this campaign.”

Even decades later, veterans who fought alongside him speak of his calm in the storm. Staff Sgt. William M. Edge recalled:

“DeGlopper wasn’t just fighting for himself; he was fighting for the guy next to him. That’s the real meaning of brotherhood.”

Legacy Etched in Fire

Charles DeGlopper’s sacrifice became a beacon—a brutal, blazing symbol of the cost of freedom. To die covering your comrades’ retreat is to embrace the warrior’s deepest truth: some battles ask for everything. The enemy needs to be stopped; the line must hold, whatever the cost.

His name lives on beyond medals and ceremonies. The Charles DeGlopper Memorial Bridge in New York stands as a sentinel, reminding each who crosses that valor means taking the bullet for your brothers and never flinching.

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21) His death was not in vain but a sacrifice giving others the chance to live—and fight again.

What We Carry

His story isn’t wrapped in glory or easy praise—it’s etched in grit and blood and the cold calculus of war. It demands no fanfare, only remembrance. DeGlopper didn’t choose death—he embraced duty. That sacred space where faith meets fire.

The battlefield tells no lies. Charles Neil DeGlopper answered its call. His rifle, his life, were a shield for brothers in arms. His legacy? That true courage isn’t born in peace but forged in sacrifice.

And when all is said and done, his story invites us—veterans and civilians alike—to reckon with what it truly means to serve, to stand, and to give all.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II 2. 82nd Airborne Division Association, Normandy Campaign Records 3. Sledge, E.B., With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa (for context on paratrooper combat) 4. Ridgway, Matthew B., Crusade in Europe 5. Edge, William M., Interview, Veterans Oral History Project