Charles N. DeGlopper's Normandy Stand Earned the Medal of Honor

Nov 20 , 2025

Charles N. DeGlopper's Normandy Stand Earned the Medal of Honor

He stood alone on that shattered ridge, the weight of his rifle like a chained vow. Bullets sliced the air; enemy machine guns clawed at his squad’s backs. Charles N. DeGlopper Jr. chose death over retreat—a single man buying time for his brothers to live.

The Quiet Forge of a Soldier

Charles was born in 1921, Albany, New York. A farm boy with calloused hands and a steady heart. Raised in a modest home stitched with Methodist faith, he carried an unspoken code—a solemn creed to protect those walking beside him.

Faith wasn’t flashy or loud. It was quiet backbone.

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

That scripture whispered in his soul long before the war’s chaos baptized him in blood.

The Battle That Defined Him: Normandy, June 9, 1944

One day after D-Day, the 82nd Airborne Division pushed into hell near Sainte-Mère-Église. Fighting in scattered woods and hedgerows. Men bleeding, morale thinning. The 325th Glider Infantry Regiment was ordered to retreat to their lines under brutal fire.

DeGlopper’s squad pinned down. American forces trapped in a lethal chokehold by German machine guns.

Without orders, he knew the hell waiting for his comrades if they didn’t move now.

He stood tall on the treacherous slope, firing his Browning Automatic Rifle. Each burst a thunderclap in the storm. He shouted, rallied, and held position alone—drawing murderous enemy fire like a metal beacon.

His actions stalled the German advance. Time—precious, bloody seconds—earned the withdrawal of his fellow soldiers.

Bullets tore through his body. Eyes fading. His last stand etched with the savage grace of sacrifice.

Recognition Born of Blood and Steel

Charles DeGlopper died that day, June 9, 1944. Only 23.

Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on August 2, 1944, his citation reads:

"Conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty… Single-handedly covered the withdrawal of his men, exposing himself to relentless fire."

General Matthew Ridgway praised the 82nd Airborne’s tenacity, singling out DeGlopper’s courage as “the very essence of infantry valor”¹.

His brother soldiers remembered him as a fearless guardian, an unyielding shield forged in fire.

The Weight of Legacy

Charles’ story is not just a footnote in dusty records. It is a raw testament—to what one man’s courage can mean when the bullets fly and the world demands sacrifice.

His blood baptized the ground “freedom” had yet to claim. His wounds became bridges—between fear and faith, doubt and grit.

Veterans walk in his shadow. Civilians pause to remember.

His life echoes: Valor is never comfortable. It demands pain—and sometimes, it demands everything.

“And if I must fall, let it be my body that stops the enemy, so that others may live and fight another day.”

Charles DeGlopper’s quiet legacy endures because it was bought in agony and sealed with love.

He taught us that sacrifice is not in vain when it covers the retreat of those who remain.

Sources

1. Department of the Army, Medal of Honor Citation for Charles N. DeGlopper Jr. 2. Ambrose, Stephen E., Citizen Soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany, Simon & Schuster, 1997. 3. 82nd Airborne Division Museum, Unit Histories and After Action Reports, WWII archives.