Charles N. DeGlopper Medal of Honor Sacrifice at Normandy

Dec 20 , 2025

Charles N. DeGlopper Medal of Honor Sacrifice at Normandy

Blood soaked the earth. The air screamed with bullets and death. Somewhere in the chaos, Charles N. DeGlopper stood alone — a solitary figure between the enemy and his retreating comrades. No hesitation, no fear. Just the heavy burden of sacrifice.

The Boy From Colonie

Charles Neil DeGlopper grew up in Colonie, New York, a working-class town threaded with quiet faith and hard-won pride. Born in 1921, he was raised with a simple but unshakable code: duty to family, faith, and country. The church pew was as much his training ground as the football field, where grit met grace.

He carried that faith deep in his bones. It wasn’t polish or pride that shaped him—it was humble resolve. A farm boy turned soldier, Charles believed in something greater than himself. The words of Psalm 23, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil," weren’t empty comforts; they were armor.

The Battle That Defined Him

June 9, 1944. Normandy, France. The American 82nd Airborne Division pushed inland after D-Day. Charles was a rifleman in Company C, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment. A desperate mission: hold the flank to protect withdrawing forces from a German counterattack near the town of Saint-Lô.

The enemy was closing fast. Men were falling, lines breaking. DeGlopper volunteered for a deadly task — to stay behind, cover the retreat with suppressive fire, and buy precious seconds for his unit to pull back.

His squad’s cover plumeted under machine-gun fire. Alone, Charles exposed himself fully, firing from a forward position, drawing enemy rounds like a magnet. One by one, he emptied clip after clip, each burst a dagger thrown between death and his brothers-in-arms. His single-handed defense slowed the enemy advance — a last stand in the mud and blood.

He was hit multiple times but kept firing until his last breath, sacrificing everything on that unforgiving hill.

Honor in Blood

Charles N. DeGlopper died a warrior’s death, earning the Medal of Honor posthumously — the nation’s highest tribute to valor. The official citation reads:

“During the critical withdrawal of his battalion, Pfc. DeGlopper resisted the enemy without fear and with indomitable courage, enabling many of his comrades to escape.” [1]

Lieutenant Colonel James Rudder of the 325th said:

“DeGlopper saved many lives that day by holding the enemy at bay alone.” [2]

No parade could capture the true cost etched in the faces of men who survived because he stayed. No medal could weigh the price paid on that Normandy hill.

Legacy of the Fallen

Charles’ sacrifice is more than history—it’s a call carved in stone for the living. Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s choosing to stand when everything screams to run. The scars he left behind remind us that freedom is guarded by those willing to bleed, to give their lives without question.

His name is etched in the hallowed halls of valor. Streets bear it. Schools bear it. But the true memorial lies in the hearts of those who carry on, knowing what it means to be saved by sacrifice.

His fight was a testament to faith turned action—belief in a cause bigger than death.

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

In the smoke and ruin of war, Charles DeGlopper’s story is no simple tale of glory. It is a raw, searing reminder that true heroism demands everything you have—and more.

And when the night seems darkest, it is the light of men like DeGlopper that burns eternal, guiding those still marching forward into the dawn.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II 2. Cole, Hugh M., The Lorraine Campaign, U.S. Army Historical Division