Dec 07 , 2025
Daniel Daly, Marine Awarded Two Medals of Honor at Peking and Belleau
Blood and fury. The cold rain dripped over Okinawa’s shattered terrain, but it was Peking—in 1900—where Daniel Daly earned his legend. Amid gunfire and boiling chaos, the Marine stood unflinching. Twice he put his life on the line for brothers he barely knew. Twice, the nation honored him with its highest sacrifice medal. The scars he bore weren’t just flesh wounds—they were testament to relentless courage.
Born of Grit and Faith
Daniel Joseph Daly came from the rough streets of Glen Cove, Long Island. Irish American, working-class grit. No silver spoons—just tough hands and tougher will. Before the war stripped away illusions, Daniel held firm to a simple code: loyalty to your brothers, honor above all, and faith as his refuge.
Raised Catholic, Daly found his moral compass within scripture’s hard edges. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” resonated—engraved on his soul. Those words wouldn’t just be empty noise; they became his creed in foxholes and fire fights alike.
The Boxer Rebellion: Valor Under Fire
In June 1900, Daly was a corporal in the 1st Marine Regiment, dispatched to China during the Boxer Rebellion. The mission was brutally clear: defend the besieged foreign legations in Peking. Amid the ruins and gunfire, Webfoot Marines huddled in a fortress of desperation.
On June 20th, under a torrential downpour and enemy volley, Private Daly carried his machine gun forward alone, through barrages of enemy fire, to repel a sudden Boxer charge. With no orders given, no hesitation, he operated the weapon until the tide broke. His stubbornness and brute nerve kept that breach from becoming a slaughter.
For this act, he received his first Medal of Honor:
“For extraordinary heroism in the presence of the enemy while serving with the Marine Battalion during the action of 20 June 1900, in China.”^1
This was no one-man glory show. Commandant John A. Lejeune noted Daly's “fearless leadership and devotion to his comrades.” His legend was born in the mud—and bullets.
The Great War: Standfast in the Inferno
Fourteen years later, a grizzled Sergeant Major Daly faced hell anew. The trenches of World War I were slaughterhouses, and Daniel, now a senior leader, embodied the stubborn spirit Marines needed.
Near Belleau Wood in 1918, the Marines faced withering German fire. Morale was hanging by a thread. Daly’s voice rose above the carnage, barking orders, rallying his men amid machine gun nests and creeping artillery. Twice wounded, he refused evacuation.
His valor on French soil earned him the Navy Cross, the Distinguished Service Cross, and a second Medal of Honor. The citation for his second MOH doesn’t mince words:
“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity; in action near Verdun, France, Sergeant Major Daly distinguished himself by exceptional valor.”^2
Fairfax Times war correspondent Samuel Wood reported,
“Sgt. Maj. Daly was the backbone of his unit, holding the line when others faltered.”
His leadership wasn’t about rank or glory—it was survival. A shepherd in the furnace.
A Warrior’s Recognition
Daniel Daly remains one of only 19 people to receive the Medal of Honor twice—and one of just three Marines. No flashy ceremonies hid his scars. He carried the weight of command and the ghosts of friends through every day that followed.
Commandant Lejeune once said of Daly,
“He epitomized the Marine Corps’ fiercest virtues—hardiness, self-sacrifice, and unyielding loyalty.”
From the muddy trenches of WWI to the blazing streets of Peking, Daly’s life was an open wound of sacrifice. Yet he lived for more than medals. His faith, quiet and unshakable, gave him purpose beyond the gunfire.
Legacy of Courage and Redemption
Daniel Daly’s story is sinew and bone—raw and unvarnished. He teaches us that valor isn’t an act but a habit forged in daily sacrifice. Courage isn’t momentary heroism. It’s the discipline to stand firm when fear screams.
His life bears witness to suffering—and hope. “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” (Psalm 23:4) resonates deeply in his story. He lived by this, trading terror for faith.
Daly’s legacy reaches beyond the battlefield. It whispers to every soul battered by conflict—internal or external—that redemption lies not in victory alone, but in enduring with honor.
A warrior’s path is never easy. But Daniel Joseph Daly showed us a way—a way to fight, to lead, to live, and ultimately, to be redeemed.
This is the story etched by blood and faith into the bedrock of America’s valor.
Sources
1. Naval History and Heritage Command, Medal of Honor Recipients — China Relief Expedition (Boxer Rebellion) 2. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients - World War I
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