Daniel Daly, Marine Hero at Belleau Wood with Two Medals of Honor

Nov 04 , 2025

Daniel Daly, Marine Hero at Belleau Wood with Two Medals of Honor

Blood on the Sand, Fire in the Soul. Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly stood in the choking smoke of the Boxer Rebellion, facing impossible odds. The enemy pressed in from all sides, bullets kicking up dirt at his boots. And there he was—unflinching, screaming orders, clutching the line with nothing but raw grit and iron will. Some fight to survive. Daly fought to hold the line and to save his brothers.

Born of Hard Streets and Hard Faith

Daly came from Glen Cove, New York—in those days, a place where men were tested by dirt and sweat long before combat ever touched them. The son of Irish Catholic parents, his faith was more than a Sunday ritual. It was a backbone. A code carved deep into his marrow. He joined the Marines in 1899, just as the world around him spiraled into chaos.

He carried that cross silently into every battle.

His belief shaped his duty: fight with honor, protect your men at all costs. Daly’s courage was no burst of luck but the product of a warrior’s creed.

“Greater love hath no man than this,” he might have echoed, believing the words between clashes.

The Boxer Rebellion: The First Medal of Honor

Summer 1900, Peking’s relentless siege saw the Marines stretched to the breaking point. Daly’s unit was pinned down near Tientsin, a powder keg. When the enemy threatened to overrun their position, Daly did something no man expected. With a rifle in hand, he charged forward, firing as he ran, pushing the attackers back to buy time.

It was more than gallantry. It was a raw, desperate act born of seeing his brothers fall and refusing to let them die in vain.

His Medal of Honor citation reads:

“For distinguished conduct in the presence of the enemy during the battle of Tientsin, China, July 13, 1900. Sgt. Daly distinguished himself by meritorious conduct.”¹

That fight marked the beginning of a legend—not for glory, but for grit.

The Hell of Belleau Wood: Two Medals, One Man

The Great War tore through Europe, trench warfare grinding men into mud and blood. Daly was no stranger to sacrifice by now, but the Battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918 tested every ounce of his resolve.

Amid exploding shells and choking gas, the Marines faced a German onslaught hellbent on smashing the Allied lines. Daly, then a Gunnery Sergeant, did what so many feared to attempt—he leaped into the fray, leading bayonet charges and rallying the shattered ranks. When some units wavered, he shouted a challenge that still echoes in Marine Corps lore:

“Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?”²

These words weren’t bravado. They were a summons—inspiring Marines to press forward, to fight with everything left in them.

His actions that day earned him a second Medal of Honor, something rare beyond rare. His citation details how he repeatedly went into no-man’s land, rescuing wounded and encouraging the dead-tired troops to hold fast despite horror all around.

“For extraordinary heroism while serving with the 6th Regiment (Marines), 2d Division, A.E.F., in action near Bouresches, France, 6 June 1918.”³

Scars Beyond the Medals

Two Medals of Honor. Multiple Silver Stars. Countless lives saved. But Daly carried scars no award could cover. The burden of leadership during hellish battles, the faces of fallen brothers burning into memory.

His men remembered him as both iron and heart. No nonsense, all fight—but a protector first. “He never sent a man into danger blindly,” a fellow Marine once said.⁴

Later, he rose to Sergeant Major—the highest enlisted rank—serving as a living link between generations of warriors. His stories were lessons: of humility, faith, and sacrifice.

Enduring Legacy of a Warrior-Poet

Daly’s life declared a thunderous truth: courage under fire is born from duty, not desire. His faith and fierce love for his comrades turned him into a symbol—a warrior redeemed every day by service and sacrifice.

“Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 31:24)

He left behind more than medals. He handed down an example—the kind that sharpens young Marines, reminding them that valor demands costly commitment, that true heroism walks hand in hand with pain and loss.

Daly’s voice still whispers through the pines of Marine Corps ranges, in every soldier’s grit—reminding us no fight is worth the cost, but some fights must be faced.

This was a man who didn’t just live war—he lived honor itself.

Sources

1. Medal of Honor Recipients: China Relief Expedition (Boxer Rebellion), Congressional Medal of Honor Society. 2. Fred J. Pushies, U.S. Marine Corps Combat Infantryman: The Battle of Belleau Wood, Marine Corps History Division. 3. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Citations: World War I. 4. George B. Clark, The Fighting Marines: The Veteran Heroes of Belleau Wood, Marine Corps Gazette.