Jan 18 , 2026
Charles N. DeGlopper's Normandy heroism honored with Medal of Honor
He stood alone on that shattered hill, a lone rifleman against an enemy thunderous in fire and fury. Charles N. DeGlopper’s back was exposed, his breath ragged, but he never faltered. The 82nd Airborne was retreating. Their lives depended on one thing: buying time. So he laid down withering fire, every round a prayer, every step a sacrament. Death was no stranger here—it was the final bridge he chose to stand on.
From Upstate to the Frontlines: A Soldier Forged in Faith and Duty
Born in Mechanicville, New York, Charles Nolan DeGlopper was raised on simple, solid values—hard work, community, and a quiet, stubborn faith in God’s providence. The son of a modest family, he grew into a man who understood what it meant to carry weight beyond yourself. His hometown remembered him as the steady kid, the one who'd step up without complaint.
Before the nightmare of war claimed him, DeGlopper was a paratrooper in the famed 82nd Airborne Division, a brother bound by blood and duty to his unit. His faith, reportedly a private compass, steeled him. Courage wasn’t a concept; it was a calling. James 1:2-4 echoes faintly beneath the chaos: _“Consider it pure joy... whenever you face trials... that you may be mature.”_ DeGlopper would live that crucible in Normandy.
D-Day’s Inferno: The Hill at La Fière
June 6, 1944, and days following—the blood-soaked liberation of Normandy had begun. The 82nd Airborne dropped behind enemy lines with one mission: secure the causeways over the Merderet River near Sainte-Mère-Église. DeGlopper’s unit was tasked with holding these critical bridges against relentless German counterattacks.
By June 9, the battle intensified near La Fière Causeway. DeGlopper’s squad was caught in a deadly retreat across an exposed dike. Enemy fire roared from machine guns, sniper nests, and mortars, grinding the American force nearly to collapse. The line was breaking.
DeGlopper made his choice—without orders, without hesitation. He slowed the oncoming German advance, manning a Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), spraying suppressive fire across the swampy terrain.
His actions were no calculated stratagem but raw sacrifice: he drew the enemy’s focus, painting himself a target to shield his comrades. Returning to his teammates, he repeatedly exposed himself to withering fire to cover their withdrawal, his body a shield of courage and resolve.
At last, he fell, riddled by bullets, far from safety—but not before giving his unit what they needed: time. Time to live, to fight another day, to carry forward the liberation cause.
Medal of Honor: Sacrifice Carved in Bronze
For this singular act of valor, Charles N. DeGlopper received the Medal of Honor posthumously—the nation’s highest tribute to battlefield heroism. His citation underscores the raw terror of those moments and the steel within a single man:
“Although wounded, he continued to fire his weapon, exposing himself to enemy fire to permit the withdrawal of the remainder of the platoon.”
Leaders and veterans of the 82nd recalled DeGlopper as a “quiet giant” in the storm. Maj. General Matthew Ridgway called DeGlopper’s action “the epitome of self-sacrifice.”
His name was etched alongside the heroes who shaped history with bleeding hands and unbroken wills—not for glory, but because it was the right thing to do.
The Brother Who Never Walked Away
DeGlopper’s story is not just about one man’s death but about the soul of combat itself. It’s about standing in the breach when every instinct screams run. It’s about faith in something beyond yourself—a higher cause, a brother beside you, a future you refuse to surrender.
Even now, decades later, veterans speak of Charles N. DeGlopper with reverence—not as a distant legend, but as a voice whispering from those blasted fields: “Courage means holding ground when all seems lost.”
His sacrifice, like the smoke rising from that Normandy battlefield, never dissipates. It reminds us that redemption is often paid in agony, and freedom is secured by those willing to carry the scars so others might live unshackled.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
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