Feb 03 , 2026

Charles N. DeGlopper’s Last Stand Earned Medal of Honor in Normandy

The crash of bullets around him wasn’t random chaos—it was death’s grip tightening. Yet there he stood, alone on a ridge overlooking the river, firing his last rounds into an enemy hell-bent on crushing his platoon. Charles N. DeGlopper bought his brothers time with his life.

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The Quiet American Roots

Charles N. DeGlopper came from Medway, New York—a simple place, but forged in the traditions of hard work and unyielding duty. Born in 1921, he was one of those men who wore his faith quietly, deeply. Raised in a family where service was not a word but an act, his faith in God shaped his resolve through the darkest moments ahead.

His letters home hinted at a man wrestling with the weight of what war demands, but grounded in Psalm 23:4—“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” This wasn’t just scripture; it was armor.

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The Battle That Defined Him

Jump ahead to June 9, 1944. The 82nd Airborne Division was locked in brutal fighting near La Fière, Normandy, just three days after D-Day. German artillery and machine gun nests pinned down the American advance. DeGlopper’s 1st Platoon was taking fire from across the Merderet River, trapped and bleeding out under a barrage of enemy rounds.

Command ordered a retreat. But retreat on those bloody fields meant death, and DeGlopper stood to stop it.

He charged across an open wheat field, His M1 rifle rattling, drawing enemy fire to himself, the hellish crack of bullets singing past—some striking. Alone, exposed, he fired relentlessly into the German machine gun nest.

His sacrifice gave the rest of his platoon a sliver of survival time. Witnesses called it the bravest act in the grimmest hour—a final stand that echoed the cost of freedom.

Charles DeGlopper died that day. But not before turning the tide for his brothers in arms.

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Recognition in Blood and Bronze

For that single act, the U.S. Army awarded him the Medal of Honor, posthumously, on September 13, 1944. The citation nails it down:

“His gallant and intrepid actions against overwhelming odds and great personal risk contributed materially to the withdrawal of the platoon and saved many lives.”

His commanding officer, Colonel James Gavin, lauded him as “a man who under fire did the impossible.” Fellow soldiers remembered him not just as a fierce fighter but a beacon of selflessness amid chaos.

His grave in Normandy is visited by those who honor not just a name, but a testament to the cost of war and the heart of a hero.

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A Legacy Written in Fire

Charles DeGlopper’s story is not just a tale of tactical bravery. It is a lesson carved in sacrifice: courage isn’t measured in medals or medals of honor—it’s weighed by the price paid to shield others.

To veterans today, DeGlopper is a mirror reflecting the stain and glory of service. To civilians, a reminder that freedom rests on the blood of those willing to stand alone.

His name lives beyond the fields of Normandy, whispering the truth of Romans 12:1:

“...offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

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We remember Charles N. DeGlopper not because he sought glory, but because he answered the call—knowing he might not come home. That knowledge is the heaviest weight a man can bear.

But he bore it. For us all.

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