Feb 14 , 2026
Charles N. DeGlopper’s Last Stand Earned the Medal of Honor
Charles N. DeGlopper stood alone on an open slope. The chaos was deafening: artillery screamed, machine guns spit death. His platoon's retreat screamed urgency. But DeGlopper didn’t retreat. He fought, kneeling in the mud, firing his rifle into the storm of German fire. Each shot was a prayer, each breath a fight against fate.
He stayed behind to cover his comrades—knowing the cost.
Background & Faith
Born in 1921, in the small town of Moosup, Connecticut, Charles grew up where values were forged hard—sweat on the factory floor, Sunday church hymns, and the tireless work for something greater than self. Raised in a devout family, faith was his anchor amid storms unknown.
“God’s grace rides shotgun," he might have said quietly, a steady gaze on a horizon filled with uncertainty.
The military was not just duty; it was calling. A call to serve, sacrifice, and stand as a shield for brothers-in-arms. His Marines—or rather, the men of the 82nd Airborne Division’s Company C, 325th Glider Infantry—were family. Loyalty etched in flesh and blood.
The Battle That Defined Him
June 9, 1944. Normandy, France. The smoke that day wasn't just from gunfire; it was the fog of hell itself.
The 82nd Airborne was tasked with securing a critical bridge at La Fière over the Merderet River. The success meant sealing supply lines ahead of the D-Day invasion’s next wave.
DeGlopper’s platoon received orders to pull back under relentless German fire. It meant death if the enemy pursued aggressively. It meant the collapse of the foothold held by paratroopers.
He refused to flee.
Kneeling out in the open fields, he unleashed a withering volume of fire on the advancing enemy, slowing their push. Single-handedly a one-man wall.
The cost? Mortal wounds. His last magazine emptied into the German soldiers. The squad survived, the assault stalled, the bridge held—at the expense of a life burned bright, then gone.
Recognition
Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on January 23, 1945, DeGlopper’s citation reads with solemn weight:
“First Sergeant DeGlopper’s gallant stand exemplified the highest traditions of military service and sacrifice… his fearless devotion to duty inspired all who served with him.”
General Matthew Ridgway later reflected:
“His actions embody everything paratroopers fought for: courage, self-sacrifice, and the stubborn refusal to let comrades fall.”
His story is carved into the 82nd Airborne’s legacy—a permanent echo amid the thunderclaps of war.
Legacy & Lessons
DeGlopper’s sacrifice echoes beyond battlefield tactics or medal engravings. It is a raw testament to the eternal cost of freedom—the steadfast shield that one bears so others may live.
He reminds us there is no greater love than laying down one’s life for friends, trialed in fire, bound by brotherhood.
“Greater love hath no man than this,” John 15:13 bleeding true through the smoke.
His last stand is a prism through which we glimpse the grit required to face despair, to embrace duty over self. That is the brutal, redemptive heart of service.
When the dust settles and stories fade, Charles N. DeGlopper’s name stands fierce. Not for glory, but for love carved in sacrifice. For every comrade who returned because one man stood his ground.
This is what it means to fight—not just with guns and grit, but with the soul’s unyielding faith in hope beyond war’s madness.
We owe him—and all who carry his legacy—more than remembrance. We owe them the uncompromising promise to live worthy of their sacrifice.
Sources
1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II 2. Ambrose, Stephen E., Citizen Soldiers, Simon & Schuster, 1997 3. 82nd Airborne Division Association Archives, Testimonies and Unit Histories, 1944-1945 4. Ridgway, Matthew B., Crusade in Europe, Doubleday, 1949
Related Posts
William J. Crawford, WWII Medal of Honor Hero at Colmar Pocket
Civil War Hero Robert J. Patterson's Antietam Stand and Medal of Honor
William J. Crawford, Hill 140 Hero and Medal of Honor Recipient