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

Dec 25 , 2025

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

The air burned with tracer rounds. The cliffside clung to silence broken only by the distant roar of artillery. Somewhere above, the sky cracked open with fire. Below, a grenade tossed bottom-up shattered flesh and steel. But amidst the fury stood Charles N. DeGlopper—alone, relentless, a shield between hell and the men retreating behind him.

The Roots of a Soldier

Charles Norman DeGlopper came from the small town of Mechanicville, New York—a place stitched together by hard work and humble faith. Raised in a household where Sunday scripture guided every decision, his compass was calibrated by discipline and God’s grace. DeGlopper believed in honor that transcended circumstance, a code forged long before the war.

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” — 1 Corinthians 16:13

This wasn’t just a verse memorized. It was a promise to carry which echoed in every step toward the battlefield. Quiet, dependable, and selfless, DeGlopper embodied the ideal soldier—and a man who understood sacrifice was a sacred act.

The Battle That Defined Him

June 9, 1944. The chaos that followed D-Day had stretched lines thin across the French countryside. Charles was a Private First Class in Company C, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division—dropped into Normandy’s cauldron to hold a vital ridge near Graignes.

Their mission collapsed under wave after wave of German counterattack. The unit ordered to fall back—and it was here, exposed on an open ridge, that DeGlopper made his stand.

Armed with a single Browning Automatic Rifle, he volunteered to cover the retreat of his comrades. Caught in the deadly crossfire, DeGlopper moved across open ground under machine gun and mortar fire. Each burst swallowed more men; every step meant certain death. But he pressed on, standing like a wall.

“I’m staying here,” he reportedly said. “If they take this ridge, they take everything.”

His suppressive fire bought precious minutes. The enemy fixated on his position, saving dozens from capture or worse. Then a burst of enemy fire brought him down—scoring mortal wounds. Despite bleeding, he pressed the trigger until he died.

His selfless stand wasn’t just a tactic. It was blood pledging life for life. The ridge was kept. The retreat completed. The war marched on.

The Medal and Words of Honor

For this ultimate sacrifice, Charles N. DeGlopper was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor—the nation’s highest and most sacred military recognition. His citation reads in part:

“With utter disregard for his own life, Private First Class DeGlopper, armed with a Browning Automatic Rifle, remained in an exposed position on a grassy slope to cover the withdrawal of his comrades, inflicting heavy casualties upon the enemy and thus enabling the unit to regroup.”

Brigadier General Matthew Ridgway, legendary commander of the 82nd Airborne, reflected on DeGlopper’s courage as the embodiment of “the Temper of the Airborne soldier.” Not words to be given lightly. They speak to a warrior willing to become a human shield—the line that must not be broken.

Scars Carried Forward

Charles’ name is etched on the Tablets of the Missing at the Normandy American Cemetery. His life—a minute in the grand theater of WWII—blossoms into a story millions inherit.

His sacrifice reminds us what is owed. Not in medals, parades, or speeches—but in the quiet moments where freedom meets cost.

Sacrifice draws a straight line from the trenches of France to the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans carry those same scars, the same grit in their souls. They know the weight of cover fire, of staying behind when retreat means life.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” — John 15:13

Through DeGlopper, that love is eternally written in blood and steel.

Charles N. DeGlopper died a sentinel on a foreign steep—alone but never forgotten. His valor calls us to remember the cost of liberty and to stand firm when the lights grow dim.

His story is America's whisper to her warriors—stand fast, even when the hill is lost to fire. For some, the fight is to the last breath. And in their sacrifice, the nation lives.

May we honor them not just by memory, but by the courage to live worthy.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II (G-L) 2. Ambrose, Stephen E., Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest 3. Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, Tablets of the Missing – Charles N. DeGlopper 4. Ridgway, Matthew B., Soldier: The Memoirs of Matthew B. Ridgway