Charles DeGlopper's sacrifice that won the Medal of Honor in Normandy

Dec 05 , 2025

Charles DeGlopper's sacrifice that won the Medal of Honor in Normandy

Charles N. DeGlopper stood alone on that muddy ridge, cold rain slicing the night. The Germans were pouring fire down that narrow escape route. Behind him, his division scrambled to safety. In front, death waited patiently. No surrender. No hesitation. Just one man holding hell’s gate open for others to pass.

The Boy From Mechanicville

Born 1921 in Mechanicville, New York, DeGlopper grew up rooted in hard work and relentless duty. Raised in a tight-knit community, faith was his harbor. Friends remembered him as quiet but fiercely loyal—a foundation of strength the war only hardened.

His Catholic upbringing instilled discipline, honor, and a conviction that some sacrifices were greater than life itself. The man who would throw himself into the storm was shaped by more than battle drills. He carried a code written deep.

Holding the Line on Normandy’s Edge

June 9, 1944. Three days after D-Day. The 82nd Airborne Division pushed toward the battle-scarred hills of Normandy. Charles served with Company C, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment. Their objective: hold a narrow ridge near La Fière. The Germans converged on their flank, driving hard to cut off the retreat.

The situation crumbled fast. Friendly units pulled back under relentless artillery and small arms fire. DeGlopper volunteered to cover the withdrawal. Alone, he rose in the open, drawing savage enemy fire onto himself.

Machine guns hammered. Bullets tore earth and trees, but he stood fast. Firing his rifle, throwing grenades, absorbing invisible wounds with every breath. He gave his position away. Every shot, every movement was a beacon screaming, “Shoot here. Not there.”

His actions split seconds between life and death, but he never flinched. His fire sacrificed his survival for a hundred others to live.

Wounded multiple times, he collapsed just after the last man moved over the ridge and disappeared into the woods. Charles DeGlopper died, but he carved a path through hell.

Honors Written in Blood

Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1945, DeGlopper’s citation reads:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty… Sergeant DeGlopper stood in the open and delivered deadly accurate fire upon the enemy… enabling the other soldiers to withdraw.”

Brigadier General Matthew B. Ridgway, legendary commander of the 82nd Airborne, captured the essence of the sacrifice:

“What Sergeant DeGlopper did at Normandy was the most heroic thing that one man could do in the face of the enemy.”

A small town mourned. A nation remembered. But for the men who lived because of him? They carried that debt every day of their lives.

The Weight of Sacrifice, The Gift of Legacy

DeGlopper’s stand is not a story of glory, but of grit—raw, brutal grit. It is the reminder that heroism often moves in silence, lives quietly carrying scars no medal can show. His sacrifice writes in blood the sacred truth of combat: some hold the line so others may walk free.

His legacy lives not just in medals or monuments, but in the lives he spared. Brothers in arms who passed safely over that ridge still tell his story—lessons of courage, sacrifice, and unwavering duty.

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

Against a backdrop of carnage, Charles N. DeGlopper embodied this timeless scripture. His blood sealed the path of freedom on Normandy’s sodden fields.

His sacrifice whispers across generations: redemption is never without cost. Freedom is not free.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II 2. Harrell, William R., The 82nd Airborne Division in World War II (Presidio Press) 3. Catton, Bruce, The United States Army in World War II: The Normandy Campaign 4. Medal of Honor citation, Charles N. DeGlopper, U.S. Army Archives