Daniel Daly, Marine Hero Twice Awarded the Medal of Honor

Dec 21 , 2025

Daniel Daly, Marine Hero Twice Awarded the Medal of Honor

Blood and fire carved his name into the annals of valor. Sgt. Major Daniel Joseph Daly stood unflinching amid the chaos—twice decorated with the Medal of Honor. Not by fate or fortune, but by the grit of a warrior forged in fire and faith.

The Making of a Warrior

Born in Glen Cove, New York, in 1873, Daniel Daly was no man of ease. The streets taught him toughness, the cold Atlantic air bred resilience. He joined the Marines in 1899—no grand strategy, just a call to serve and a code to live by: duty above all; his faith, his anchor.

Daly’s Catholic upbringing framed his view of the battlefield—not as a place of glory, but a crucible of sacrifice. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9) whispered in moments before the storm, reminding him that valor was not just courage; it was purpose.

The Boxer Rebellion: Defiance Amidst Fire

In 1900, China’s Boxer Rebellion roared like a powder keg. The Legation Quarter in Peking under siege, Marines—the thin line between survival and slaughter. Daly, then a corporal, thrust himself into the fight.

When the enemy swarmed the walls, the order was to hold. Daly didn’t just hold—he charged. He singlehandedly carried a wounded comrade through crossfire. Twice wounded himself, he returned fire with relentless fury.

His citation reads: “In the presence of the enemy during the battle of Peking, China, Daly distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism.”

His Medal of Honor came for a moment when he carried an injured man through hell’s fire and when he returned to the fight despite his wounds.[^1]

The Hell of the Great War

Time marched relentlessly. World War I dragged Daly, then a seasoned sergeant major, into its murderous maw. At Belleau Wood in June 1918, Marine Corps history was rewritten in sweat and blood.

Fighting behind enemy lines, Daly’s platoon faced overwhelming German machine-gun fire. Rather than retreat, Daly roared: “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” The phrase, brutal and raw, ignited his Marines with desperate courage[^2].

Advancing through barbed wire, under relentless bullets, Daly spearheaded assaults that smashed enemy nests. His leadership turned the tide, embodying the raw ferocity of Marine spirit.

For his actions at Belleau Wood, Daly received a second Medal of Honor, a feat shared by no other Marine[^3]. His citation notes “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity”—a man who defied death to lead and inspire.

Honors Etched in Blood

Only a handful of Americans have earned two Medals of Honor. Daly is one of them—twice honored for valor in Korea’s sunlit hills and the shattered forests of France. His name became legend in Corps lore.

The words of Major General Smedley Butler, a fellow Marine and two-time Medal of Honor recipient, spoke volumes:

“Daly was a symbol of the fighting spirit that built the Marine Corps.”

Decades later, his toughness and heart remain a measuring stick for Marines worldwide.

Enduring Legacy: The Warrior’s Burden and Redemption

Daly fought as a man who knew the cost. The vast gulf between violence and valor defined his path. He carried scars unseen—the weight of comrades lost and battles lived.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13) echoes in his legacy. Not in empty bravado, but in the grit of self-sacrifice and leadership.

His life challenges warriors and civilians alike: courage is not absence of fear but action despite it. Sacrifice is bitter, but it breathes life into freedom’s fragile flame.

Sgt. Major Daniel Joseph Daly’s story is a call to remember the blood carried on the shoulders of freedom, the faith that steadies the fighting heart, and the unyielding will that refuses to quit.

To honor men like Daly is to remember their scars, their sacrifices, and the sacred trust they placed in those who follow.

[^1]: U.S. Marine Corps History Division + Medal of Honor Recipients: Daniel J. Daly [^2]: Wheeler, Richard. The Marines at Belleau Wood, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1920 [^3]: Simmons, Edwin H. The United States Marines: A History, Naval Institute Press, 1979