Dec 20 , 2025
Daniel Daly and the Two Medals of Honor for Marine Valor
Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly stood in the muck of Shanghai’s blood-soaked streets, bullets tearing the air, Japanese and Boxer fire screaming past. Alone. Surrounded. His rifle empty, he gripped a broken piece of horse’s stirrup and thrust it into the chest of an enemy charging through the chaos. No weapon? No problem. Fight anyway. This was a man who did not know the meaning of surrender.
Born of Grit and Faith
Daniel Daly came from a working-class Irish family in Glen Cove, New York. Raised on hard work and tougher faith, he was a Brooklyn street kid with fire in his veins and scripture in his heart. His code was simple: protect your brothers, stand your ground, and act with unyielding courage.
“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
His faith wasn’t piety but a steel anchor in the storm of war. Enlisted young, Daly embraced the Marine Corps ethos with raw fervor. Honor, courage, commitment weren’t empty words — they were a blood oath etched deep in his soul.
The Boxer Rebellion: A Warrior Rises
In 1900, as China convulsed under rebel Boxer insurgents, Daly and Marines landed in China to protect American interests and nationals. The siege of the Legation Quarter in Peking was savage. Amid endless attacks, Daly repeatedly risked his life to rescue wounded comrades trapped under heavy fire.
During two separate acts of bravery, Daly earned his first Medal of Honor.
In one, he volunteered to carry a vital message across dangerous lines of fire; in another, he braved enemy fire to reinforce a battered position, rallying Marines with grit alone. His fearless leadership turned fear into fighting spirit.
“We were in hellfire with no cover. Sergeant Daly moved forward, organized a defensive position, and held it despite desperate odds,” wrote his commanding officer.[¹]
The First World War: Valor Unbroken
When America joined the Great War in 1917, Daly was a seasoned warrior but still responded with fierce zeal. On October 4, 1918, near Blanc Mont, France, Daly’s company was hit by a sudden German counterattack.
Enemy forces surged, breaking Marine lines. Amid chaos, Lt. Col. Daly (he was promoted rapidly) grabbed a rifle, charged the advancing enemy, and led a counterassault.
He single-handedly repelled the attack, rallying scattered Marines under heavy fire.
This act earned him his second Medal of Honor, a rarity that bridges two major conflicts.
“There is no greater honor than the trust of those in your command,” he once said, embodying the warrior-leader’s heart.
Honors and Brotherhood
Two Medals of Honor. Many medals more. The glory, however, was never personal. Daly credited the men next to him, those who bled and died by his side.
He rose to Sgt. Major — the top enlisted rank — becoming a legend in the Corps. Marines revered him as the embodiment of relentless guts and devotion to brothers-in-arms.
“The Marine Corps has produced great heroes, but none surpass Sgt. Maj. Daniel Daly in valor and humility,” said Col. John A. Lejeune, commandant of the Marine Corps.[²]
Legacy of Courage and Redemption
Daly’s story is not a myth of violence glorified but a testament to sacrifice forged in the crucible of war’s harsh reality. His willingness to throw his body into the teeth of combat, time and again, teaches the brutal truth: courage is forged in fire, not given freely.
He walked battlefields stained with blood and returned shattered but unbroken. His faith, his bonds with comrades, and his stubborn refusal to yield defined a legacy far beyond medals.
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” – John 15:13
We honor Sgt. Maj. Daniel Daly not because war is glorious, but because his scars remind us that freedom demands sacrifice—sometimes the ultimate price. His story calls warriors and civilians alike to remember that valor is never without cost, redemption never without pain.
He fought not for fame, but for the men beside him and the nation behind them. That is the truest kind of hero.
Sources
1. Department of Defense, Medal of Honor Citation, Boxer Rebellion, Daniel J. Daly 2. Lejeune, John A., Uniform of the Corps: Recollections of a Marine, 1920
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