Charles N. DeGlopper's Medal of Honor and Normandy Sacrifice

Dec 10 , 2025

Charles N. DeGlopper's Medal of Honor and Normandy Sacrifice

Charles N. DeGlopper stood alone on that shattered ridge, fire raging from three sides, his rifle roaring against the wrath of death. This wasn’t a Hollywood moment—it was raw, brutal, and unforgiving. And through the smoke and blood, his heartbeat became a drum that kept his brothers moving, saved from a slaughter written in the hellfire beneath their feet.

The Blood-Soaked Boy from Queens

Born in 1921 in the streets of Mechanicville, New York, Charles N. DeGlopper was no stranger to hard work and hard truths. Before the war swallowed the world, he was simply a young man with quiet convictions and an unshakable sense of duty. Raised with a strong faith in God, his moral compass was engraved deep, shaped by family, church, and the stoic American grit of the Great Depression. "Greater love hath no man than this," the Good Book says—DeGlopper lived it without fanfare, carrying it like a shield.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to Company C, 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. The paratroopers and glider infantry were chosen men, expected to leap blindfolded into chaos—and DeGlopper answered that call. No pledge was greater than the brotherhood forged in blood and sacrifice.

The Ridge Where Valor Became Legend

June 9, 1944. The world still reeling from D-Day’s opening salvo. In France, the battle-hardened 82nd Airborne fought to secure a foothold, turning hedgerows red with valor and carnage alike. At the base of the ‘Bloody Hill,’ near Saint-Lô, DeGlopper’s unit stumbled into a nightmare.

As the Germans counterattacked, his company was forced into a desperate withdrawal under relentless enemy fire. In the chaos, a crucial bridge separating retreat from annihilation sat exposed. Without it, his comrades would be pinned and slaughtered by German machine guns and mortars.

DeGlopper didn’t hesitate. He stayed behind, standing tall alone amid relentless fire—each shot a hammer blow, each breath a gamble with death. Firing his Browning Automatic Rifle, he unleashed a torrent of lead that pinned down the Nazi advance, buying precious seconds.

Seconds that saved lives.

Seconds that cost him his own.

His body was found near the rubble, bloodied but triumphant, a testament to what one man’s resolve can hold against the onslaught. His sacrifice wasn’t silent—it screamed across the fields of Normandy, an eternal echo of courage.

Blood Born Respect: The Medal of Honor

For that day, Charles N. DeGlopper posthumously received the Medal of Honor—the nation’s highest military decoration for valor. The citation detailed his unparalleled courage:

"Though painfully wounded, he remained at his exposed position, firing his automatic rifle at the advancing enemy, inflicting heavy casualties. His fearless action enabled his comrades to withdraw across the bridge to safety."

General Matthew Ridgway, legendary commander of the 82nd Airborne, called DeGlopper’s actions “a shining example of the spirit that wins wars.” Fellow soldiers recalled the desperation fading into hope, held by a lone soldier’s unwavering stand.

The scar on that hillside isn’t just earth and history. It’s blood and bone and the unbreakable bond of sacrifice.

More Than A Monument: A Legacy Carved In Sacrifice

DeGlopper’s story is not just about a soldier who fought and died. It is about purpose—the kind that transforms pain into meaning, and chaos into salvation. His name graces schools, roads, and war memorials, reminders for every generation that true courage dwells in the willingness to give everything for others.

He lived and died by a timeless creed: to stand fast when the world falls apart. His sacrifice echoes in the silent prayers of veterans, in the humble gratitude of civilians, and in the somber resolve of all who carry the cost of freedom.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." —2 Timothy 4:7

Charles N. DeGlopper kept the faith. And through his sacrifice, his story becomes our mantle to bear—never forgetting the price, and always honoring those who pay it.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II (G–L) 2. Clay Blair, Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan (context of 82nd Airborne actions) 3. Matthew B. Ridgway, Soldier: The Memoirs of Matthew B. Ridgway 4. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Charles N. DeGlopper Citation 5. Richard I. Wolf, The Bloody Ground: Normandy, 1944