Charles N. DeGlopper is a Medal of Honor hero from Normandy

Jan 28 , 2026

Charles N. DeGlopper is a Medal of Honor hero from Normandy

Charles N. DeGlopper stood alone at the edge of a dying ridge, the final hope between his shattered unit and an unforgiving enemy. Bullets tore through the air like angry wasps. The deafening rattle of machine guns swallowed his voice, but he shouted anyway—covering his comrades’ retreat. He was a living target, cut off and exposed, fighting with everything to hold the ground that meant survival for others. He gave his life so others might live.

The Boy from Hudson Falls

Born in 1921 in Hudson Falls, New York, Charles grew up a son of hard soil, honest work, and steady faith. Raised in a small town where the church bell rang clear and scripture was woven into life, he carried that quiet strength into uniform. Brothers and neighbors became brothers in arms.

DeGlopper’s faith was more than prayer. It was a farmer’s grit mixed with a warrior’s resolve. To him, courage was not loud or boastful. It was a daily choice—to stand firm, to protect the weak, to fight with honor.

The Crucible: Normandy, July 18, 1944

By mid-1944, the war had ground Europeans beneath its iron heel. DeGlopper was a Private First Class in Company C, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division—the "Big Red One." They pushed through the hedgerows of Normandy after D-Day, a tangled nightmare of enemy fire and hidden death.

When the retreat sounded, chaos threatened to swallow the unit. German forces swarmed, relentless and deadly. Without cover, their withdrawal would be a slaughter.

DeGlopper did not hesitate. Alone—with a rifle and a heart of steel—he stood his ground on the open slope near the Merderet River. Firing continuously into advancing German troops, he bought precious minutes for his comrades to cross a makeshift bridge, escape certain death.

Each burst was a defiant stand. Each round, a prayer for life beyond him.

Wounded multiple times, he pressed on—until finally, the enemy closed in. Slumped and spent, Charles N. DeGlopper died there, a guardian on that bloodied ridge.

The Medal of Honor and Testament of Valor

Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on August 17, 1945, DeGlopper’s citation honors a soldier “who consciously sacrificed his life by making a one-man stand against overwhelming odds.”

“By his gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty, Private First Class DeGlopper saved the lives of many comrades and enabled the battalion to hold a vital bridgehead.” — Medal of Honor Citation, U.S. War Department

Fellow soldiers remembered him not for heroics claimed, but for steadfastness lived:

“Chuck was the man you wanted watching your six.” — Staff Sergeant Robert L. Hill, 16th Infantry Regiment memoirs

The Lasting Legacy of Charles N. DeGlopper

His name chalked on a battlefield, now etched forever in stone and story. A bridge in his hometown bears his name—the DeGlopper Bridge—a somber reminder that freedom is held by blood and sacrifice.

His example wrecks the false glamor of war. True courage is costly. It’s raw and resolute in the face of death. DeGlopper’s stand echoes for all who carry scars seen and unseen.

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

In a world that often forgets the cost of peace, Charles N. DeGlopper speaks loudest—through the blood of his sacrifice and the silence of the graves he saved.

To honor him is to remember that every combat veteran holds the same weight—a burden endured, a story of faith and grit, a testimony carved in pain and valor.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II 2. 1st Infantry Division Association Archives, Big Red One History 3. Robert L. Hill, 16th Infantry Regiment Memoirs (published memoir excerpts) 4. New York State Military Museum, Charles N. DeGlopper Biography