Daniel Daly, Marine Who Earned Two Medals of Honor at Belleau Wood

Nov 27 , 2025

Daniel Daly, Marine Who Earned Two Medals of Honor at Belleau Wood

Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly stood alone. Surrounded by enemies, outnumbered and bloodied, his voice cut through chaos like a war horn—steady, unyielding. The enemy pushed hard, but Daly pushed back harder. Eyes blazing with raw defiance, he became more than a man that day—he became a fortress. “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” The words would echo beyond the battlefield, a battle cry for every soldier facing hell.

The Bloodied Road to Hells’ Gate

Born in 1873, New York City’s grime and grit forged Daly’s early life. No silver spoons, no easy handouts. Just the cold streets and a working-class family that etched discipline and toughness into his bones. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1899. From day one, his faith and faithfulness were pillars—an unshakable code that married courage with humility.

Daly’s spirituality was no soft whisper. It was a battle hymn in the chaos. A man molded by Psalm 18:39—“You armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me.” This was a warrior who believed God’s hand guided his trigger finger, his choices, and his fate.

Hells’ Gate: The Boxer Rebellion, 1900

The streets of Tientsin burned. The Boxer Rebellion had turned Beijing’s outskirts into a crucible. Daly was part of the relief expedition to rescue besieged foreign legations—marines entrenched in enemy-held territory with razor-thin lines of survival.

It was here that Daly first earned the Medal of Honor. A motherlode of bullets rained down; his men scattered, walls shattered. Under fire, Daly grabbed a flag and led a charge against the Boxers storming their position. His fearless leadership rallied his comrades.

He was wounded but refused evacuation. The citation speaks to “conspicuous gallantry in battle” and “fearless and aggressive conduct” defending vital positions multiple times in Tientsin.[^1]

War to End All Wars: Valor Redoubled

His second Medal of Honor came with far deadlier stakes—World War I, Belleau Wood, 1918. The “Devil Dogs” held the line against a brutal German offensive. The wood was a killing field—snipers, artillery, poison gas.

Daly’s orders were to hold. Instead, he moved beyond mere defense. On June 13, under intense machine-gun and artillery fire, Daly led a charge to reclaim a lost position. When a fellow Marine faltered, Daly grabbed him by the collar, shouting that immortal line, “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” The Marines rallied, broke the enemy’s momentum, and held their ground.[^2]

Lieutenant General John A. Lejeune called Daly “the best Marine I ever knew, a man of courage, character, and consummate professionalism.”[^3]

Blood-Stained Honors, Humble Warrior

Two Medals of Honor. Silver Stars. Navy Crosses. His uniform was a map of valor—but Daly wore it lightly. To his men, he was more than medals—he was the man who stood shoulder-to-shoulder, who carried their burdens, who bore their losses.

The medal citations never capture the full cost. They omit the nights haunted by the fallen, the trembling hand steadying his men’s rifles, the silent prayers whispered over broken bodies.

Legacy Etched in Sacrifice

Daly’s story does not end with ribbons pinned or statues raised. It beats in every scar, every fragile moment of courage, every warrior burdened by memories no civilian can bear. His words transcend generations, a soldier’s truth without fanfare or myth.

Courage was not his absence of fear—it was his choice to stand.

He lived as a man who understood the weight of sacrifice and the redemption found in duty fulfilled. His battlefield cries still echo in the souls of those who fight.

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.” —Psalm 18:2

Sgt. Maj. Daniel Daly showed what it means to fight not for glory, but for the brother beside you. In him, valor became more than a fleeting moment—it became a legacy etched in blood and honor.

[^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]: Alexander, Colonel Joseph H., The Marine Corps at Belleau Wood, Naval Institute Press, 1993