Jan 17 , 2026

Charles N. DeGlopper D-Day Hero Awarded Medal of Honor

Steel met fire. Blood met earth. One man stood alone.

This was no quarry for heroes. Only a desperate soldier willing to burn himself down for others lived here. Charles N. DeGlopper did just that on June 9, 1944—a thunderous, hellish day near Sainte-Mère-Église, France.

---

The Battle That Defined Him

The 82nd Airborne was tearing the spine out of Hitler’s Western Front. Paratroopers tangled in thick hedgerows, mud, and enemy fire. The 325th Glider Infantry Regiment set a critical bridge afire behind them—denying German reinforcements a crossing.

As men of Company C began a fighting withdrawal, they faced a nightmare. An enemy patrol pinned them down across an open field—machine guns dropping rounds like rain. Every step back risked annihilation.

Private First Class Charles N. DeGlopper took a stand others could not.

With a rifle and a scrap of courage, he sprinted into the gale of fire, his M1 rifle blazing. Enemy tracers screamed past his face. Bullets tore at the earth his feet fell on. DeGlopper covered the retreat with fierce, suppressive fire—giving his brothers a lifeline.

The Germans fixed him with machine gun fire but he held fast. His final act was pure sacrifice. He fell, a crimson field staining the grass where he died so others might live.

---

A Soldier’s Faith and Code

Born in Albany, New York, in 1921, Charles DeGlopper grew up in quiet resolve. The farm boy within knew work, honor, and sacrifice. A product of humble, American values—he carried a deep faith that anchored him under fire.

He wrote home often to his mother, his words laced with hope and reliance on God’s providence. This man who must face death on foreign soil did so with calmness only born of belief. "The Lord is my shepherd..." was no empty phrase to him.

In the mud and blood of France, his faith was armor heavier than Kevlar.

---

War in the Blood

The D-Day landings crushed the start of the German war machine in the West. Days later, Charles and the Glider Infantry reached La Fière, a strategic choke point.

The mission was simple and brutal: hold a bridge to keep Germans from crossing the Merderet River. The cost would be high. Everywhere was chaos—explosions, screams, and the sharp crack of rifles.

The 325th’s position buckled under intense counterattacks. They had to pull back or perish. But pulling back meant death under German crossfire.

That’s when DeGlopper alone stepped into the breach.

Under withering enemy fire, he refused to retreat. His rifle snarled death at a wall of foes closing in. His sacrifice bought precious minutes for his platoon to reach safety. When the smoke cleared, he lay dead, riddled with bullets.

---

Honor in Bronze and Blood

For his gallantry, Charles N. DeGlopper received the Medal of Honor posthumously—the nation’s highest valor award.

His citation reads in part:

"While covering the withdrawal of his platoon during an attack, Private First Class DeGlopper alone held the enemy at bay despite desperate odds. His brave action enabled his comrades to retreat to safety at the sacrifice of his own life."

Leaders echoed the gravity of his deed. General J. Lawton Collins said simply:

“His courage was the finest kind of sacrifice a soldier can give.”

For a man unknown outside his platoon, his story became a symbol—a blazing light of infantry grit and selflessness.

---

The Cost and the Legacy

Charles’ name sits etched on the grounds of Fort Bragg and is honored every June 9. His life reminds us: heroism isn’t born in headlines. It lives in grit, quiet decisions, and a willingness to stand for others when death waits nearby.

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

His death was a brutal sting. But from that sting grew the harvest of hope—the men he saved fought on, helped break Nazi Germany, and shielded liberty’s fragile flame.

Scars are the alphabet veterans write in blood. DeGlopper’s name spells sacrifice.

To the civilian minds that cannot fathom such cost, look at him and remember: he wasn’t just a casualty; he was the price paid for freedom’s breath.

His rifle ceased firing, but his duty never ended.

Men like Charles N. DeGlopper pull the unthinkable load of war. They remind us: courage is forged in hell, and honor never dies.

---

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II (M–Z) 2. Nalty, Bernard C., Airborne Operations in World War II, U.S. Air Force History and Museums Program 3. Military Times Hall of Valor Project, Charles N. DeGlopper Citation 4. Collins, J. Lawton, War in Peacetime: The History and Lessons of Korea, 1969

---

Older Post Newer Post

---