Dec 11 , 2025
Charles N. DeGlopper’s Sacrifice and Medal of Honor at Normandy
He stood alone. The roar of German machine guns drilled into the mud. His rifle cracked like the last breath of a dying breeze. Charles N. DeGlopper was the thin line between death and survival—his life the price to buy time for his brothers.
This is the steel of one man’s sacrifice.
Roots of a Soldier’s Heart
Raised in Mechanicville, New York, Charles DeGlopper came from simple soil. A son of hard work and quiet faith. His childhood etched by small-town values that shaped a fierce loyalty and an unyielding sense of duty.
He believed in something larger than himself—family, country, and a God who orders even the darkest battles. An anchoring script:
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13
His faith wasn’t a whisper; it was the backbone of his courage. Before the war, he worked as a battery operator, steady hands that would one day steady the pulsing drum of war.
The Battle That Defined Him: Normandy, June 1944
It was the 18th of June, 1944—ten days after D-Day. The 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, was locked in brutal fighting near La Fière, France. The Germans had them pinned down with relentless counterattacks.
DeGlopper’s company was battered, shattered. The order came: retreat across an open field to regroup. Dead ground, with no cover. The Thousand-yard stare didn’t atmosphere misery; it whispered certain death.
He volunteered—without hesitation—to stay behind. To cover the withdrawal.
For minutes stretched like hours, he fired rifle round after round into the advancing German ranks, drawing their fire. Bullets tore at the earth around him.
When a machine gun squad zeroed in on him, he charged—his bayonet flashing. A personal war waged to protect his brothers.
The last witness to his stand, Staff Sergeant Schaefer, said:
“He saved many lives by sacrificing his own.”
DeGlopper’s body was found surrounded by twelve dead enemy soldiers. His sacrifice won his comrades the precious seconds to escape an impossible trap.
Honor Etched in Bronze and Stone
Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on December 19, 1944, Charles DeGlopper’s citation reads like a prayer written with blood:
“He stayed in an exposed position until the last men of his company had reached safety. Although wounded he continued to fire, inflicting numerous casualties upon the enemy until killed.” [1]
Generals and men alike spoke his name. Brigadier General William C. Lee called him a “hero among heroes.” The Medal wasn’t just a decoration—it was a testament to valor distilled to its purest form.
His hometown of Mechanicville named a park in his honor. The Charles N. DeGlopper Memorial Bridge now spans the Hudson, a reminder that ordinary men carry an eternal legacy.
Legacy Beyond the Battlefield
What do we carry forward from DeGlopper’s blood-stained stand?
Courage is not the absence of fear; it’s action in the face of it.
Sacrifice isn’t about dying; it’s about giving life so others might live.
In the silence of loss, there echoes the unspoken creed of warriors: To stand when others fall. To bear the weight of tomorrow’s freedom.
His story challenges us—those who have never held a rifle, never felt the thunder. To remember the price of liberty and the faith forged in fire.
“The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.” — Isaiah 57:1
May his memory burn as a beacon—blood and bone hammered into history’s backbone. A reminder that redemption often wears the scars of war.
Charles N. DeGlopper gave everything on that Normandy field. His wordless prayer was written in action and sealed in sacrifice.
We honor his legacy every day we choose to fight the good fight—no matter the battlefield.
Sources
[1] U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II (A–F) [2] Richard Winters and Cole C. Kingseed, Beyond Band of Brothers (2006) [3] Mechanicville Historical Society, Charles N. DeGlopper Memorial Archives
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