Daniel Daly, Marine legend who yelled 'Do you want to live forever?'

Dec 13 , 2025

Daniel Daly, Marine legend who yelled 'Do you want to live forever?'

Sgt. Major Daniel Joseph Daly stood alone before the maelstrom, a line of enemy fire ripping through the night. His Marines faltered under weight and fear. Then he cracked a brutal, goddamn roar: “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” That voice carved a path through chaos, galvanized weary souls into steel. This was a man who earned his courage in blood and mud, a living legend shaped by relentless combat and unbreakable will.

Born of Grit and Faith

Born in Glen Cove, New York, 1873, Daniel Daly came from blue-collar roots—Irish immigrant blood thick in his veins. Life was hard and stark, a crucible that forged grit early. He joined the Marine Corps as a teen, hungry to belong, to fight, to matter.

A warrior tempered by faith, Daly wrestled with the brutal realities of war and the search for purpose beyond the carnage. His code wasn’t glory—it was brotherhood, honor, sacrifice. He carried his belief like armor, a secret breath beneath the throttle of battle.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13

The Boxer Rebellion: Valor in the Inferno

In 1900, China’s Boxer Rebellion erupted with savage fury. Daly was part of the 1st Marine Regiment dispatched to the besieged foreign legations in Peking. The enemy swarmed in waves, and defenders thinned with each dawn.

Amid that hellscape, Daly’s mettle flared. Twice awarded the Medal of Honor, his citations spotlight fearless acts on July 13 and August 17, 1900. With rifle and bayonet, he repelled assaults that threatened to swallow the compound.

His first Medal of Honor citation credits him for “distinguished himself by meritorious conduct,” repeatedly exposing himself to fire to distribute ammunition. The second, for “distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism,” notably in rallying troops amidst overwhelming odds1.

No bluster—just raw resolve. The man’s hands bloodied with enemy fire, yet his voice steady. In the darkest trenches, he was a beacon.

“Come on, you sons of bitches!”

That line wasn’t legend—it was grit distilled to pure form in the rigors of World War I. By 1918, Sgt. Major Daly was no stranger to hell. At the Battle of Belleau Wood, June 1918, Marines clashed with German forces entrenched in dense French forest.

When a squad wavered under machine gun fire, Daly’s voice cut through the panic. “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” he yelled, charging forward himself2. That line echoed for generations.

His bravery didn’t just inspire—it turned the tide. Marines pressed against near-impossible odds, pushing the Germans back inch by bloody inch. For this and other acts of valor, Daly earned the Navy Cross and the Distinguished Service Cross.

A leader by example, not position. He lived in the mud, bled with his men, and refused to quit.

Honors: Twice the Nation’s Highest Tribute

Dan Daly earned two Medals of Honor, one of only 19 Americans ever to do so. His first for valor during the Boxer Rebellion. His second for heroism at the Haitian Campaign in 19153 — another brutal fight shaping a fierce legacy.

Beyond medals, his name became synonymous with unwavering courage under fire. Fellow Marines described him as a “legend,” a “living demonstration of Marine toughness.” His life was the definition of sacrifice.

Major General Smedley Butler, another double Medal of Honor recipient, said, “I don’t think there ever was a man who came closer to Don Quixote’s ideal of the bravest, most honorable, and most gentle warrior.”

Legacy Written in Blood and Faith

Daly’s story is not untouched by scars. It’s a ledger of sacrifice etched deep—blood spilled for brothers, a lifetime weighed by trauma and duty. His raw humanity humbles the myth.

The lesson he leaves is brutal and simple: true courage is fear met with action, sacrifice given without expectation. Redemption comes not from glory, but from service beyond self.

His words still burn: “Do you want to live forever?” Challenge every man and woman who looks down the barrel of fear. Not a call to recklessness, but a summons to purpose.

In a world desperate for stories of honor over convenience, Daly’s name marches on. A warrior, a believer, a man who carried his faith through the darkest hells.

“Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9

The legacy of Sgt. Major Daniel Joseph Daly reminds every combat veteran and citizen alike that valor endures. It demands remembering the cost and never turning away from the fight for what is just and true.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Citations: Daniel J. Daly 2. Millett, Allan R., Semper Fidelis: The History of the United States Marine Corps (2000) 3. Owens, Ron, Medal of Honor: Historical Facts and Figures (2004)