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

Feb 06 , 2026

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

He stood alone on that ridge, bullets tearing through the frost-bitten air. Every man behind him counted on his grit, his willingness to bleed so they wouldn’t have to die. Charles N. DeGlopper didn’t hesitate. He became the shield when the enemy came calling. And in that firestorm at Normandy, his sacrifice was written in blood and glory.

The Ground That Made Him

Born in Warwick, New York, Charles grew up on values hard as the New England stones: faith in God, family, country. Raised in a devout home, prayer was the armor before boots hit dirt. His life was stitched with threads of honor and selflessness long before the war called him to fight.

He learned early what it meant to stand for something bigger than himself. The boy who handed out church bulletins volunteered without complaint when the draft came. To Charles, service wasn’t a duty — it was a calling.

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

The Ridge at Normandy: Fire and Sacrifice

June 9, 1944. Three days after D-Day, the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division clawed forward toward the small French village of Graville. The enemy was dug in, artillery and machine guns pinned the Americans like wolves in a trap.

Charles DeGlopper’s squad found itself tens of yards ahead, a vital flank exposed as the battalion prepared to pull back under withering German fire. The order was clear: withdraw. But this was no orderly retreat. Chaos rumbled through that woods and field.

DeGlopper saw his comrades slipping away, caught in open ground under bullets and shells. Something twisted in his gut—a resolve forged in faith and duty.

He charged forward alone.

Armed with a Browning Automatic Rifle, Charles laid down a furious covering fire. His suppressive bursts stalled the enemy, buying precious seconds for his battalion. Bullets peppered his body; a bullet intestines him. Wounded and bleeding, he still fought to the last breath.

Fellow soldiers remembered the roar of his fire, the defiant stand that stalled the German advance long enough for the rest to escape near-certain death.

Honoring a Fallen Hero

For his gallantry, DeGlopper received the Medal of Honor posthumously—awarded on June 26, 1945. The citation detailed acts beyond mere bravery.

“With complete disregard for his own safety, he placed himself in a forward exposed position and fired his automatic weapon at the enemy, thereby stopping a strong enemy attack directed at the battalion.”

Generals and privates alike spoke of Charles as the embodiment of courage. Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt Jr. praised him for “grit and valor that turned the tide.” Men who fought alongside him carried his memory through hell and home.

The Blood-Stained Lesson

Charles DeGlopper’s story isn’t about glory. It’s about a man choosing to stand in the hellscape of war — to be the brother who falls so brothers can live. His sacrifice serves as a solemn testament to the cost of freedom.

Few will be called to such a task; all are called to honor those who did.

His legacy is a beacon—showing that courage is not the absence of fear but the choice to act despite it. That honor is not a word but a lifetime’s battle.

Charles rests beneath the soil of France, but his voice echoes in every veteran who knows the weight of this fight.

“The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.” — Isaiah 57:1

In the end, Charles N. DeGlopper reminds us: Sacrifice is the currency of freedom. His valor, a flame that cannot be extinguished. May we never forget the man who stood alone so that others might live.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II 2. 1st Infantry Division Association, The Big Red One at Normandy 3. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Charles N. DeGlopper Citation and Biography 4. Barrett Tillman, Brave Men: Heroes of World War II