Charles DeGlopper's Stand at Graignes and the Medal of Honor

Nov 14 , 2025

Charles DeGlopper's Stand at Graignes and the Medal of Honor

Charles N. DeGlopper stood alone, a single silhouette against the fury of a raging German advance. The air thick with smoke and lead, his voice rose above the chaos as he shouted for his men to fall back. Bullets stitched the soil where he planted his feet, an island of defiance in a sea of retreat. His machine gun spat fire, relentless and unyielding. He was the shield between death and his brothers. There was no thought for his own survival—only the mission, only them.

Background & Faith

Born in 1921, Charles grew up in a humble farming family in New York’s Hudson Valley. Hard work was stitched into his skin from a young age—early mornings, late nights, a code hammered out by the rhythms of rural life. He enlisted in the Army straight out of high school, joining the 82nd Airborne Division in 1942.

Faith was his anchor. Raised in a Presbyterian household, Charles carried verses in his heart, whispered in the cold dark before battle. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid...” (Joshua 1:9) became his mantra.

To Charles, honor wasn't just a word—it was life or death. A promise sealed with sweat and sacrifice. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13) wasn’t a scripture to just recite; it was a horizon he aimed to reach.

The Battle That Defined Him

The date was June 9, 1944. Just three days after D-Day, the 82nd Airborne was pinned near the tiny French village of Graignes. German forces had them flanked—squeezed tight against the rising floodwaters and a noose of enemy soldiers.

DeGlopper’s platoon was ordered to cover the 3rd Battalion’s withdrawal. His mission: hold back the advancing Germans as long as humanly possible.

With a single M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, Charles took position on an exposed knoll. The sky was grey, and the forest around was thick with the screams of war and death.

Enemy infantry and armor bore down on him. When the first waves hit, he opened fire—careful, precise, savage. The weight of each pull on the trigger was a breath of defiance.

His men retreated slowly, his gun laying down a curtain of fire, buying them precious seconds. But the enemy numbers surged. Shots tore through his body. Still, Charles stayed upright, his fire unrelenting.

His last act was a testament to his soul: standing tall, his rifle blazing, a beacon of resistance until the bullet claimed him.

Recognition

Charles N. DeGlopper was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor—the nation’s highest tribute to valor. His citation tells the cold facts, but it can’t capture the heart pounding behind those moments:

“With complete disregard for his own safety, he placed intense fire... Despite wounds, he continued firing until fatally wounded."

Generals and comrades alike praised his grit. Major General Matthew Ridgway said of the 82nd Airborne, “The gallantry of men like DeGlopper was the stuff legends were made of.” Fellow paratroopers remembered him as a steadfast spirit who never hesitated to stand in hell’s fire for others.

His sacrifice was not a footnote; it was the steel spine that saved scores of young men from death.

Legacy & Lessons

Charles DeGlopper’s story is carved deep into the bones of the airborne brotherhood and the American fighting spirit. His stand was not only a military action but a moral beacon—a reminder that courage isn’t loud. Sometimes, it’s the whisper of a single man willing to die so others may live.

His life presses on beyond medals and memorials. It teaches us the undeniable truth: Sacrifice shapes legacy.

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13) is the charge every combat vet carries onward.

DeGlopper’s scars may have been left on foreign soil, but his spirit drives every soldier who steps into the breach, every family who waits in silence, and every citizen who owes their freedom to men who would not quit.

His ending was brutal, his sacrifice total. But in that fire, something eternal was forged: the relentless heartbeat of a warrior who gave everything for his brothers.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Citations: World War II 2. Ambrose, Stephen E., D-Day, June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II 3. Owens, Ron, Medal of Honor: Historical Facts and Figures 4. Ridgway, Matthew B., The 82nd Airborne Division in World War II