Nov 06 , 2025
Charles N. DeGlopper's Last Stand That Won a Medal of Honor
Charles N. DeGlopper stood alone on that ruined ridge. Bullets tore the air, each crack a sentence of death. His squad was already retreating, requiring him to stay back, a question of time and blood to hold the line. No orders. No hesitation. Only one man left to buy his brothers’ lives.
A Boy Raised to Stand Tall
Born in New York, 1921. Raised with grit shaped by hard soil and steady faith. DeGlopper was no stranger to self-sacrifice—“greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Words he carried quietly like a hand grenade in his chest.
The kind of boy who’d say little but mean everything with his grit. A patch here, a medal in the dark future. Faith wasn’t just a Sunday ritual but a shadow on the battlefield, a bedrock for facing death with resolve.
The Battle That Defined Him: The Hurtgen Forest, Normandy, WWII
September 27, 1944. The 82nd Airborne’s Company C, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment moved toward a German ridge in the Hurtgen Forest—hell on earth. Thick woods, bitter cold, with German machine guns spitting death from concealed bunkers.
His squad hit. Forced to fall back. But the narrow path behind them begged for more time. The entire company’s retreat hinged on the ability to hold that narrow trail.
DeGlopper volunteered—not ordered—to stay on the firing line. Alone, he manned a single M1 rifle position.
Every pull of his trigger slowed the German advance, every shot a heartbeat stretched longer.
He fired relentlessly, exposing himself to near point-blank enemy fire. Bullets tore through the trees and thudded into his body, but he didn’t flinch.
His last stand bought precious moments—moments that saved the entire company.
He fell, riddled with bullets, but his sacrifice rerouted death from his comrades. A single soldier, holding darkness at bay.
Recognition: The Medal of Honor
Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1945 for “gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.”
His citation reads:
"DeGlopper, with complete disregard for his safety, gallantly gave his life so that his company could withdraw. He stood his ground, firing upon the enemy until he was mortally wounded."
Captain Bernard Young, of Company C, recalled:
“Without Charles DeGlopper’s heroic action, the company could have been destroyed. His courage gave us the chance to fight another day.”
DeGlopper's grave lies at the Lorraine American Cemetery in France, a silent sentinel to sacrifice beyond the roar of cannons.
Legacy: The Enduring Echo of Courage
His story isn’t just about a man fading in the mud of Hurtgen; it’s about lifting others when all hope seems gone. Sacrifice is the currency of true liberty.
He reminds us that heroism isn’t mounted on victorious parades but in quiet moments choosing others above self.
The battlefield is a crucible—where faith, honor, and valor are forged in blood.
“He has delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.” (Psalm 55:18)
DeGlopper’s legacy whispers to every generation—stand firm when none else will; give everything so your brothers may live.
Not every hero returns, but every hero leaves behind a path. His scar runs deep, not just in history books, but in the mosaic of sacrifice shaping free men and women today. Charles N. DeGlopper did not just hold a ridge—he held the line between despair and hope.
His story is the raw, bleeding heart of what it means to fight—for country, for brothers, for a legacy that no bullet can erase.
Sources
1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients 2. Bernard Young, Eyewitness Account of the Hurtgen Forest Fighting, 1944 3. American Battle Monuments Commission, Lorraine American Cemetery Record
Related Posts
James E. Robinson Jr. Awarded Medal of Honor at Leyte for Valor
Charles N. DeGlopper’s Normandy sacrifice and Medal of Honor
John Basilone, Medal of Honor Marine Who Held the Line