Charles N. DeGlopper, Medal of Honor recipient from Normandy

Feb 05 , 2026

Charles N. DeGlopper, Medal of Honor recipient from Normandy

Gunfire cracked the dawn like a primal scream. Men fell hard, torn by a merciless hailstorm. Somewhere in that maelstrom stood Charles N. DeGlopper—alone, blazing a trail through death, buying time with every breath, every bullet. He carried more than a rifle that day. He carried the lives of brothers, the hope they clung to in the mud.

The Boy from Mechanicville, New York

Charles Nan DeGlopper was born in 1921, a son of hard soil and honest sweat. Raised in a small town where every handshake meant something, he learned early: integrity wasn’t earned, it was demanded.

Before the war, he lived a simple, quiet life. But beneath that calm was a man forged by faith and resolve. His family’s devout Catholicism planted seeds of courage and sacrifice deep in his heart. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) wasn’t just a verse—it was a call he would answer on distant fields soaked in blood.

DeGlopper carried those roots like armor going into battle. He wasn’t just fighting for country; he fought for the soul of his unit, for the promise he whispered to God and brothers alike.

The Battle That Defined Him: Normandy, June 9, 1944

The Allied invasion had crashed into Normandy’s shores the day before. The 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, was deep behind enemy lines. Chaos reigned. The forest near La Fière was death’s domain.

DeGlopper’s company faced an impossible retreat under heavy fire. German machine guns raked the landscape, cutting down soldiers scrambling to safety. The unit was pinned, exposed, shattered—but not defeated.

In the hellfire of that morning, DeGlopper made his stand.

With his paratrooper unit pulled back, he volunteered to cover the withdrawal alone. Standing on an exposed knoll, he opened fire on advancing enemy troops, drawing their machine gun nests into his sights.

Bullet after bullet, grenade after grenade, he held the line.

His small frame moved like a ghost through steel and smoke. Every shot slowed the enemy’s approach, buying precious time for the men behind him to retreat.

He was hit—once, twice—but he pressed on. He refused the retreat, refusing death’s claim until his brothers reached safety.

Eventually, the bullets cut him down, alone but unbowed. His sacrifice sealed the escape.

Honor Forged in Fire: Medal of Honor

For his valor, Charles N. DeGlopper was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor—the nation’s highest tribute to heroism. The citation does justice to his selflessness:

“He alone stood and fired his weapon at the approaching Germans from an exposed knoll, in full view of the enemy… His extraordinary heroism and unflinching devotion to duty undoubtedly saved many of his comrades.”¹

Colleagues spoke of his calm in chaos. One fellow paratrooper once said, “Charlie was the kind of soldier you’d pray to have on your six.” His legacy was more than medals—it was a seal of absolute trust under fire.

The Unbroken Legacy

DeGlopper’s story is blood-stained truth carved into history. He wasn’t a myth or legend. He was a boy from rural New York who looked death in the eye—and chose his brothers over himself.

Like the psalmist sang, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” (Psalm 23:4)

His stand teaches veterans and civilians alike: Courage is not the absence of fear but the brutal, unrelenting refusal to surrender it. Sacrifice is the ultimate love. And redemption comes when lives are laid down for the lives of others, a gift that no wound or wound’s echo can erase.

In every echo of gunfire, in every scar etched on flesh and memory, the name Charles N. DeGlopper endures. A reminder carved in steel and soul—freedom owes its debt to the fallen who held the line when hope was all that remained.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, “Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II” 2. U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division Archives, “The Battle of Normandy: 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment Records” 3. Michael E. Haas, The Battle for Normandy: The Paratroopers' Story (2019)