Dec 23 , 2025
Charles N. DeGlopper's Sacrifice That Earned the Medal of Honor
Death waits in every shadow. But there are men who choose to stand in its face—not just to survive, but to buy time with their own breath and blood. Charles N. DeGlopper was one of those men.
The Early Years: A Soldier's Seed Planted
Born in 1921, Charles DeGlopper grew up in Ticonderoga, New York, the kind of small town where grit and honor were as common as the air you breathed. He wasn’t molded in a boot camp hierarchy alone—his roots were deeper, branching into faith and family values that steeled his soul for what war would demand. A devout Christian, he carried a quietly fierce code, one where sacrifice and service weren’t just words, but lifelines.
His enlistment in the U.S. Army was no grand gesture. It was duty answering duty. He joined the 82nd Airborne Division, paratroopers known for their grit under hellfire and their reckless courage jumping behind enemy lines. Charley wasn’t just a soldier; he was a piece of iron forged ready for the furnace of combat.
The Hell of Normandy: A Stand That Saved Lives
June 9, 1944 — three days after D-Day, the beaches had already turned upside down. The 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, part of the 82nd Airborne, found themselves pinned down near the town of Banque de Sevigny, Normandy.
Enemy tanks rolled in, machine guns rattled, and the Germans poured fire like damnation from all angles. DeGlopper’s squad was ordered to retreat across an exposed field to safer ground.
This isn’t a story about retreat. It’s about buying seconds with your last breath.
DeGlopper volunteered to cover the withdrawal.
Arming himself with an M1 rifle, he advanced across the open field—alone—under terrifying fire. One report said he “stood upright, firing at the enemy from an exposed position,” drawing attention to himself and holding the enemy at bay.
Time and again, hostile fire cut through grass and bone, but he pressed on. When he was eventually hit multiple times, he kept firing until his hands could no longer grip the weapon.
His actions didn’t just slow the enemy—they saved his fellow soldiers from annihilation.
From his Medal of Honor citation:
“His gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 325th Glider Infantry, and the United States Army.”^[1: U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients, World War II]
The field where he bled became a graveyard—and a testament.
Recognition—Words Painted in Blood
Charles DeGlopper was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on September 8, 1944. The medal recognizes more than valor—it honors the ultimate sacrifice borne to secure a brother’s life.
Sergeant Thomas Bell, one of the men saved by DeGlopper’s sacrifice, recalled:
“If it hadn’t been for Charley, none of us would have gotten out... it was like he made a wall with his body.”^[2: Speidel, William, 82nd Airborne Division in World War II, 1958]
Leadership across the regiment echoed his name with reverence. To the 82nd Airborne, DeGlopper was not just a soldier who died; he was the steel backbone beneath that brutal withdrawal.
Legacy: Courage Forged in Blood and Faith
DeGlopper’s story is carved into the dirt of Normandy but resonates far beyond. His example teaches what real courage looks like—not the absence of fear, but the will to act despite it. In the chaos of war, he chose to stand, cover, and fire rather than run.
His faith was more than words. It was the quiet strength to put others first, trusting that something greater held his fate.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13
Today, his legacy lives on through countless airborne troopers and veterans who carry his story in their hearts. The brave, the burdened, the warriors who understand the cost of covering a retreat.
Charles N. DeGlopper died at 22, but lived forever in the sacrifice of that one choice: to be the shield for others.
In a world too quick to forget the price of peace, his blood-stained courage is a call—stand when the line breaks, and hold the field for those who follow.
Sources
1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients, World War II 2. Speidel, William, 82nd Airborne Division in World War II, 1958
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