Charles N. DeGlopper Earned the Medal of Honor at Normandy

Dec 07 , 2025

Charles N. DeGlopper Earned the Medal of Honor at Normandy

Bullets tore through the trees. They screamed past Charles N. DeGlopper’s head, tore into his friends, and shattered the earth beneath his boots. No hesitation. No second thought. One man stood steady, alone on a ridge, a living shield between death and the soldiers trying to make it back. His eyes locked on the enemy. His soul locked on sacrifice.

The Boy from Schroon Lake

Charles was born on a quiet farm in Schroon Lake, New York, in 1921. A simple life—hard work, faith, respect. His mother’s prayers shaped him. His father’s calloused hands taught him discipline. A man of humble beginnings, Charles carried with him the grit of that soil and the quiet strength of biblical conviction.

“The righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.” — Psalm 34:19

He enlisted in the Army when the war demanded it. Not out of glory; out of duty. The kind of duty that’s sharper than a bayonet and heavier than a pack on your back. A code burned into his marrow—protect your brothers. No man left behind. No fear.

Normandy, June 9, 1944 — The Ridge of Death

The Allies had stormed the beaches. The push inland was crawling with carnage. The 325th Glider Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division fought like devils on the rocky ridges near Carentan, France. DeGlopper’s unit was retreating, pressed hard by a ruthless German counterattack.

In that chaos, a life or death choice: cover the retreat or die trying.

Charles stepped into a slaughterhouse.

His squad moved down, but the enemy swarmed. DeGlopper grabbed an M1 rifle and charged up a small knoll. He unleashed a furious, steady fire at the incoming enemy troops. The volume of his attack fixed the Germans’ attention.

One after another, he drew their fire.

DeGlopper fired until his gun was empty. Then picked up an enemy rifle and kept going. Every burst shaved seconds off the enemy’s advance. Every shot was a promise to his wounded and weary comrades. They slipped away down the hill under cover of his fire.

With no backup, surrounded, and bleeding, Charles fought until a fatal bullet pierced his chest.

Medal of Honor — Honoring the Ultimate Sacrifice

For his heroic stand, Charles N. DeGlopper received the Medal of Honor posthumously on January 22, 1945.

The citation reads bluntly:

“With calm determination and utter disregard for his own safety, DeGlopper alone covered the withdrawal of his comrades until he was killed.”

Brigadier General Maxwell D. Taylor, 82nd Airborne commander, once said:

"DeGlopper personified the warrior spirit we all strive to emulate. His valor saved lives, bought time, and showed what sacrifice truly means."

Fellow paratroopers remembered him as a steady rock amid madness—a soldier who stood when others fell, who gave everything so others might live.

His grave lies in Lorraine American Cemetery, France, marked by sacrifice etched in stone and memory.

A Legacy Carved in Blood

Charles N. DeGlopper’s story is not just a wartime legend. It’s a timeless lesson in courage, faith, and the price of freedom.

Sacrifice is never painless. It is never unseen. But when a man lays down his life for others, his scars become a shield, his blood a forge for hope.

Every wounded comrade left behind that day carried his spirit forward. Every family who hears his name knows a life given freely is the definition of valor.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” — John 15:13

The ridge still whispers Charles’s name. Not as a ghost, but as a call—a summons to live with honor, to stand when it matters, to fight for something bigger than ourselves.

In the final reckoning, his sacrifice reminds us: courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of it. Faith is not a shield from pain. It’s the torch that lights the darkness.

Charles N. DeGlopper died so others could live. His blood sings a hymn of redemption and purpose—etched forever in the dirty soil of Normandy and the hearts of all who remember.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History – Medal of Honor Recipients, World War II (G–L) 2. Ambrose, Stephen E. – Citizen Soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany, June 7, 1944–May 7, 1945 3. 82nd Airborne Division Archives – Operational Reports and After Action Reviews, Normandy Campaign 4. American Battle Monuments Commission – Lorraine American Cemetery Records