Charles N. DeGlopper's Last Stand on Hill 609 and Sacrifice

Dec 15 , 2025

Charles N. DeGlopper's Last Stand on Hill 609 and Sacrifice

The earth shook under artillery, screams ripped through thick smoke, and somewhere in the inferno stood one man—alone, unmoving, relentless. Corporal Charles N. DeGlopper was that man. His last stand was no heroic cliché but a brutal crucible of blood and fire. He chose death over surrender, covering his platoon’s retreat through a hailstorm of machine-gun fire. He died a warrior, so others might live.

Origins of a Warrior: Faith Forged in the Heartland

Charles Neil DeGlopper came from the humblest of beginnings—granite and soil in Amsterdam, New York. Raised in a Catholic household grounded in faith and honor. The kind of faith that whispers “greater love hath no man than this” even as bullets rain down.

A laborer’s son who knew the value of sacrifice not through textbooks but through daily hardship, Charles carried that grit into every battle. Honest work. Steely resolve. Quiet prayer. The brothers in his 82nd Airborne Regiment could count on him—because he counted on something bigger than himself.

Hill 609: The Crucible of Sacrifice

June 9, 1944. France was still bleeding from the D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy. The 82nd Airborne Division was pushing inland, facing a fierce German counterattack near Carentan. The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment was pulling back from Hill 609 after a brutal firefight.

The enemy pursued with machine guns and mortar shells that shredded men and morale alike. DeGlopper’s squad formed the rear guard. When the retreat began, every inch counted.

Under savage fire, DeGlopper jumped into an exposed foxhole and opened suppressed fire on advancing German soldiers.

His volume of fire stalled the enemy, blinding their advance long enough for his comrades to escape—one by one. He stood his ground despite being hit multiple times.

The Medal of Honor citation is terse but heavy with meaning:

“He remained in the line of fire alone and covered the withdrawal of his comrades. His gallantry was an inspiration and contributed materially to the success of the operation.” [^1]

His last act was more than valor. It was selfless love—laying down life amid hell so others might walk away.

Honors Etched in Blood and Bronze

Charles N. DeGlopper posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism. His sacrifice was recognized by General Matthew Ridgway, who led the 82nd, as an act “beyond any call to duty.”[2]

His name lives etched on the Wall of Honor at the 82nd Airborne Division Museum.

Comrades remember him not simply as a medal recipient, but as a man whose courage was a living testament to brotherhood and sacrifice. “He didn’t die a hero,” said a fellow paratrooper years later, “he lived one.” His actions turned retreat into salvation.

The Legacy Carved in Valor

DeGlopper’s stand on Hill 609 symbolizes more than tactical delay. It represents the eternal battlefield choice veterans know too well: hold the line or lose your kin. He lived the battlefield’s darkest truth—sacrifice comes first, self last.

His story teaches that the cost of freedom is paid in lives willingly given. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). DeGlopper embodied that scripture with rare purity.

Veterans cherish his legacy as a call to courage when all seems lost. Civilians owe him the remembrance that freedom is not free but forged by those who refuse to blink in the face of violence.

One man, one battle, one sacrifice writes a message for all time: in the thunder and blood, love is forged in steel nerves and a willing heart. The memory of Charles N. DeGlopper is more than history—it is the raw pulse of redemption on the battlefield.

[^1]: U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II [^2]: Atkinson, Rick. The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945.