Charles N. DeGlopper's Normandy Hedgerow Stand That Saved His Men

Nov 22 , 2025

Charles N. DeGlopper's Normandy Hedgerow Stand That Saved His Men

Charles N. DeGlopper stood alone against a wall of fire. The sky thundered with mortar blasts. Bullets shredded the air. His squad had pulled back. Chaos was closing in. But he stayed—firing his rifle, drawing enemy attention—so his men could escape through the green hell of the French countryside. He held his ground until the death that earns legends.

Background & Faith: A Soldier Born of Upstate New York

Born in 1921 in New York’s Greene County, Charles carried the grit of rural America. Raised in Cairo, a small town shaped by steel mills and hard work, he learned early what it meant to stand tall under pressure. His faith ran deep—DeGlopper was known to carry a pocket Bible, his quiet resolve bolstered by scripture and the prayerful habit of a man who understood the weight of sacrifice.

“Greater love hath no man than this,” must have echoed in his mind when bullets tore through the fields of Normandy. A faith that wrapped like armor, grounding him in a world spun mad with war.

The Battle That Defined Him: The Death That Saved Men

June 9, 1944. Just three days after D-Day, the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, pushed inland from Omaha Beach. They fought through hedgerows soaked in blood and mud. DeGlopper’s company moved through the town of Graignes, part of a grim struggle to secure the road to Saint-Lô.

Faced with a sudden counterattack by a superior German force, his unit was ordered to retreat. Panic and confusion were monsters of their own. Escape routes were tight, choking under machine gun fire and enemy shells. But DeGlopper made a choice—a soldier’s last, hardest decision.

He volunteered to cover the retreat. Alone, he climbed atop a hedgerow, exposed and burning with purpose. Using every burst from his M1 Garand, he pinned down the enemy. He was a beacon in hell, drawing fire, buying seconds that stretched into minutes.

Bullets tore past, ripping flesh and bone. Shrapnel shattered muscle and tendon. Yet he fired on, slowing a tide that would have drowned his men. His last act wasn't triumph or glory—it was sacrifice pure and bitter. DeGlopper died in that hedgerow, a rifleman against an army, so others might live.

Recognition: A Medal That Speaks of Undying Valor

Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, Charles N. DeGlopper’s citation lays bare the raw edge of his heroism.

“Flashing a magazine into his rifle and firing well-aimed shots, he continued to hold the advancing enemy at bay. His intrepid courage and determination contributed materially to the withdrawal of the remainder of the battalion in good order.”

Generals and comrades alike spoke of him in tones weighted by sacrifice. Lieutenant Colonel Joe L. Brown called him “the kind of soldier who turns the tide for his brothers in arms.” His story rippled through the 1st Infantry Division, a solemn standard passed down to every new recruit who would face war’s chaos.

Legacy & Lessons: Courage Carved in Normandy’s Soil

DeGlopper’s life ended where countless brave souls met their fate—in a massacre of fire and will. But that tragedy birthed a beacon for every soldier who’s ever faced the impossible.

His sacrifice is not a tale of reckless death. It is a sermon in courage; a scripture in steadfastness. It commands those who follow to stand when fear wants you to fall, to fight until the last breath. To bear the wounds, scars, and ghosts with honor.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9

DeGlopper’s hedgerow stand was the heartbeat of brotherhood. It reminds warriors and civilians alike: freedom is neither given nor cheap. It is carved with rifles and blood, carried on the backs of the few who hold the line so many may live free.

In the silence after the smoke, Charles N. DeGlopper’s rifle lies quiet. But his voice roars in every soldier’s soul who steps into the breach and says, “I will not let you bleed alone.” That is redemption written in fire, inked with the hardest courage known to man—sacrifice chosen with eyes wide open.

And that is why we remember.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II 2. 1st Infantry Division Archives, Battle of Graignes After Action Reports 3. Edward G. Lengel, To Conquer Hell: The Meuse-Argonne, 1918 (context on infantry tactics) 4. Leonard Rapport, Brothers at War: The Civil War in the Words of Those That Fought It (faith and soldier ethos)