Charles N. DeGlopper’s Last Stand That Earned the Medal of Honor

Nov 15 , 2025

Charles N. DeGlopper’s Last Stand That Earned the Medal of Honor

Men died that day. Heroes burned bright under a hailstorm of shells and bullets, but only one stood tall long enough to write his name in blood—Charles N. DeGlopper.

A soldier gone too soon, his last stand was no reckless charge—it was a deliberate choice to buy seconds for his brothers to retreat. Those seconds saved lives. His life was the price.

From Upstate New York to the Crucible of War

Charles Neil DeGlopper was born in 1921, raised in the humble soil of Yankton, New York. A son of quiet resolve, he grew under the steady hand of faith and hard work—values seared into his character long before the war pulled him west.

The Anderson family Bible was his constant companion. Faith was not an abstract luxury; it was armor. A devout man from the start, DeGlopper carried that inner sanctuary into the fire. Not for glory, but for purpose.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division—the famed "Big Red One." A machine gunner by trade, he knew that every pull of the trigger, every movement forward, meant trusting God and his squadmates with his life.

The Gauntlet at Normandy: A Hell No Man Would Choose

June 9, 1944. Just three days after D-Day, the fight for Saint-Lô raged in the hedgerows. Charles' unit was tasked with taking a bridge over La Fière Causeway—a thin, exposed strip flanked by water and enemy fire.

The Germans held the high ground with machine guns and mortars. American troops began to fall back under the withering attack. Retreat without cover here meant slaughter.

DeGlopper’s platoon was among the last across the causeway. When orders came to fall back, the regiment risked the deadly crossing under gunsmoke and mortar bursts.

DeGlopper stayed behind. Alone, he fixed his machine gun and opened fire on the enemy to suppress their attack. The kill zone was narrow. Every round he fired painted a target on his back.

Enemy bullets bit into him—hip and leg wounds. He did not falter.

“I will stay and cover my men,” he reportedly said.

With driving resolve, he held the line until he fell, cut down by a final burst of enemy fire. His sacrifice gave his company the cover they needed to withdraw safely across that canal, preserving the strike force’s momentum in Normandy.

Medal of Honor: The Nation’s Highest Tribute

For this act of valor, Charles N. DeGlopper posthumously received the Medal of Honor—the highest military decoration awarded by the United States.

The citation, signed by President Harry S. Truman, highlighted his extraordinary courage and “outstanding devotion to duty.”

General Omar Bradley later praised soldiers like DeGlopper for “turning the tide” on those critical days. One comrade remembered:

“Charlie was the kind of man who didn’t ask questions. He just did what was right.”

DeGlopper’s name was etched into American military history. But no medal can fully measure the cost paid or the lives spared by one man’s grim determination.

Legacy: A Soldier’s Testament to Sacrifice and Redemption

The Charles DeGlopper story is not about heroics alone—it’s about choice. The grit to stand when every instinct screams ‘run.’ The faith to face death with dignity. And the love for brothers-in-arms worth dying for.

His birthplace named a school after him. Saint-Lô’s bridge became a symbol of sacrifice immortalized by a modest monument.

Scripture echoes through his story:

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13

DeGlopper’s stand whispers to every generation of warrior and civilian alike: courage is sacrifice. Valor is service beyond self. Redemption waits on the other side of pain and loss.

He carried the weight of war so others might see the light.

And in that, he is forever undefeated.

Sources

1. Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II, U.S. Army Center of Military History 2. Beevor, Antony. D-Day: The Battle for Normandy, Viking Press 3. U.S. Army, Medal of Honor Citation for Charles N. DeGlopper (1944) 4. Bradley, Omar N. A Soldier’s Story, Henry Holt and Co.