Daniel Daly Marine Medal of Honor Hero From Tientsin to Belleau Wood

Nov 21 , 2025

Daniel Daly Marine Medal of Honor Hero From Tientsin to Belleau Wood

Sgt. Major Daniel Joseph Daly stood alone amid the ruins, bullets tearing the sky above Tientsin, China. The night was a hellish roar of gunfire and screams. Bare-chested, soaked in sweat and gunpowder, he let loose a primal bellow that cut through the chaos: “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” This was no bravado. It was a warrior's call — raw, unyielding courage forged in battle and blood.

The Early Years: Steel Tempered by Faith and Duty

Daniel Daly was born in 1873, Philadelphia: a rough city, rougher men. Irish immigrant blood ran through his veins, and Catholic faith ran deep. His faith was not hollow words but a backbone—a code to live by when the devil rides close. “Blessed are the peacemakers” he might’ve whispered when the guns were silent, but in battle, he made peace with one truth: a man’s honor is written in his scars and actions, not words.

He joined the Marines in 1899. From day one, Daly was a no-nonsense Marine—disciplined, fierce, respected and feared. His belief was simple: duty first, country always. Christ bore His cross; so would he.

The Boxer Rebellion: Fearless Under Fire

The year 1900 came with fire and fury. The Boxer Rebellion in China tested every ounce of his grit. At the Battle of Tientsin, American and allied forces fought through a maze of brutal street combat against a hidden foe, death lurking in every shadow.

Daly’s first Medal of Honor came that day. As an enlisted man, he carried the wounded under scorching fire, moved artillery into position, and rallied broken lines. When the cannon was out of reach, Daly did what only a few would dare—he positioned himself where the fight was thickest and fought like a cornered lion. His citation would later note “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity” as he kept his platoon together amid the chaos¹.

He was not some distant officer barking orders. He was in the gutter, teeth clenched, refusing to quit.

The Great War: Valor Reborn in the Trenches

World War I brought a new kind of hell. The trenches of France were mud, blood, and endless loss. Daly, now a Sergeant Major, was no stranger to the grind. His second Medal of Honor came during the Battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918, a crucible for the American Expeditionary Forces.

Germans flooded the Marines’ lines with machine-gun fire — despair close enough to taste. It was Daly’s fearless leadership that turned the tide. When morale flagged, he once again bellowed his legendary challenge—those words seared into Marine lore: “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?”

That roar sparked the assault that broke the German offensive. Daly led a counterattack under withering fire, inspiring men to follow where few dared. The Medal of Honor citation praised his “extraordinary heroism and leadership,” a rare distinction for a non-commissioned officer².

The Marine Corps marched forward that day carrying a ferocity that echoed his unbreakable spirit.

Honors and the Voice of Comrades

Two Medals of Honor. Few men earned that. Never for Daly was it about glory or medals. It was about holding the line—about brotherhood and the breed of Marines who fought and died next to him.

“Daly was the heart of every fight,” said Lieutenant Colonel Harry Letts. “His voice was thunder, his courage contagious. Men followed because he was the truth of valor, no speeches needed.”³

The Corps recognized what the enemy learned in blood: Daly was a force of nature, a warrior whose faith and grit forged legends.

Legacy: Courage That Demands Witness

Daniel Daly died in 1937, but his story is eternal. He embodies every warrior who stands when the world burns. Not for applause, but because it must be done.

His cry still haunts the fighting spirit of Marines today, a summons to face fear with raw, unrelenting courage.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9

Daly’s legacy is simple yet fierce: courage is not the absence of fear, but the mastery of it. Not the absence of death, but the will to live forever—in purpose, honor, and memory.

The battlefield may scar the body, but the soul of a warrior like Daly endures. His story reminds us all—veteran and civilian—that faith and valor carve out a place beyond the fading of bullet-ridden days.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Recipients: Boxer Rebellion 2. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War I 3. G. A. Kilcullen, The Fighting Spirit: Stories of American Veterans