Charles N. DeGlopper’s WWII Sacrifice and Medal of Honor

Jan 19 , 2026

Charles N. DeGlopper’s WWII Sacrifice and Medal of Honor

Charles N. DeGlopper stood alone. The rubble was around him, his breath ragged over the whine of bullets slicing the Rhine air. Behind him, his company’s retreat was a frantic pulse, fading from his line of sight. He stayed. He held his ground. To buy time. To save brothers.

The Boy from Fulton, New York

Born in 1921, Charles grew up on hard soil. Fulton was a small town stitched with blue-collar grit and simple prayers. A son of humble means who held faith close—quiet, steady, unshakable. His character wasn’t forged overnight but in the small fires of hometown life, church pews, and the call to serve.

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life... shall be able to separate us from the love of God.” —Romans 8:38

This wasn’t a man chasing glory. It was a man who understood sacrifice, discipline, and the weight of duty, carrying it like a cross—never flaunting it.

The Battle That Defined Him

May 27, 1944. France. The 82nd Airborne Division was locked in hell near the town of Graignes during the early days of Operation Overlord. DeGlopper’s platoon was ordered to hold a ruined wheat field—an open graveyard under the ceaseless German fire—to cover the retreat of the rest of the company.

Intense. Relentless. Brutal.

With only a rifle and hand grenades, DeGlopper stood between the enemy and his men. His weapon cracked out bursts. Bullets thudded into the sodden ground near his feet. Yet he did not budge.

When the Germans came at him, wave after wave, he threw grenades, fired shot after shot. Each breath a prayer; each moment a defiance. The enemy aimed to stop his company from pulling back—he aimed to stop the enemy at all costs.

In those final moments, his platoon was safe. His life? Lost on that wheat field. His body fell, but his stand bought the time his comrades needed to regroup and live.[1]

A Medal Earned in Blood

DeGlopper was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on January 1, 1945. His citation is raw and simple—words inadequate but true:

“He covered the withdrawal of his company by firing alone upon the advancing enemy, exposing himself to withering fire... was killed while making a final attempt to break up an enemy attack.”[2]

Commanders remembered him as the embodiment of airborne ferocity and selfless courage. Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton H. Howze called his actions “the kind of heroism that made victory possible.”[3]

Scars, Duty, and Redemption

Charles DeGlopper’s sacrifice echoes beyond the battlefield’s mud and blood. His story is a stark reminder of what it means to lay down one’s life so others might live. This was no recklessness; it was deliberate. Purpose carved into the chaos of war.

His sacrifice wasn’t just to delay the enemy—it was a testament to brotherhood, courage, and faith tested in fire. A man who stood still so others could move forward.

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

In a world too often numb to cost, DeGlopper’s story calls the living back to reckon with sacrifice. He is found in every soldier’s stand, in every veteran’s scars, in the whispered prayers for peace.

There is no greater legacy than one paid with blood—no higher honor than saving your brothers with your last breath. Charles N. DeGlopper is that legacy, unwavering.

Sources

1. United States Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients—World War II 2. Medal of Honor citation, Charles N. DeGlopper, January 1, 1945 3. Howze, Hamilton H., Reports on the 325th Glider Infantry, 1944 Archives