Daniel Daly, Marine who earned two Medals of Honor in China and WWI

Dec 30 , 2025

Daniel Daly, Marine who earned two Medals of Honor in China and WWI

He stood alone on that crumbling trench line, bullets ripping the earth around him, the roar of artillery a deafening hymn to hell. No one moved—except Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly. With a grit carved from years of relentless combat, he grabbed his rifle and hollered orders. The enemy swarmed. He held. Again and again. The line didn’t break.

From Rough Beginnings to Relentless Warrior

Born in 1873 in Glen Cove, New York, Daniel Daly grew up tough. A bit rough around the edges, but honest and fiercely loyal. He enlisted in the Marine Corps at 17 and never looked back. He wasn’t a man of lofty speeches, but of iron will and quiet faith. Daly carried a code: serve fiercely, protect your brothers at any cost.

His faith was simple but deep. He believed in fighting for something greater than himself, to stand as a shield for the helpless. “God gave us life for a purpose,” he once said, “and I intend to fight for mine.” This belief wasn’t decoration—it was the backbone of his courage, a light in the darkest trenches of war.

The Boxer Rebellion: Valor Ignited

In 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion in China, Private Daly stepped into a firestorm at the battle for the Legation Quarter in Beijing. When his comrades faltered, Daly didn’t retreat. Twice he stepped into the breach with reckless daring.

He charged through enemy fire, pulling wounded Marines to safety. Twice, his courage earned the Medal of Honor—the rarest distinction on two separate occasions for the same man.

His official citations[1] describe it simply but brutally: “Though under heavy fire, he crossed the open ground alone to rescue a wounded comrade.” A single Marine against the fury of a siege.

The Blood and Mud of World War I

Years later came the mud and hell of World War I. By now, Sgt. Maj. Daly was the embodiment of Marine Corps fighting spirit. At the Battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918, the German army launched a brutal attack. The Marines’ lines teetered on collapse.

Daly, calm under fire, rallied the men. “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” The words cut through the chaos, igniting a ferocity that turned tides[2].

Twice wounded in the carnage, Daly still refused to fall back. Leading by example, he charged enemies entrenched in foxholes, hauling himself over barbed wire to drive the enemy back. His courage wasn’t blind recklessness—it was deliberate defiance in the face of death.

Medals and Words from Brothers in Arms

Two Medals of Honor. Countless Silver Stars and Navy Crosses. Decorations no man wears lightly.

Marine Commandant Alexander Vandegrift called Daly “one of the greatest Marine warriors who ever wore the Corps emblem.” Fellow Marines echoed this in letters and memoirs. A legend born of blood and steadfastness.

His Medal of Honor citation from WWI reads[3]:

“For extraordinary heroism while serving with the 6th Marine Regiment… he displayed complete disregard of his own personal safety while fighting the enemy.”

But nothing shows his impact like the respect he commanded on the ground, where leadership was measured in survival and sacrifice.

Legacy of Courage and Redemption

Daniel Daly did not fight for glory. He fought because the battlefield demanded men who could bear its horrors and still pull others through. His scars tell a story—of fear faced, of comrades lost, and of a soldier’s iron resolve to stand when others could not.

He once said, “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” That cry echoes still, not just as a call to arms, but a demand to live with purpose and valor in any fight life throws.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9

Daly’s life is a testament. The battlefield leaves none untouched, but it also forges warriors whose sacrifice becomes a lasting beacon. His legacy is redemption in the fire—proof that courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the will to carry the fight despite it.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Citations: Daniel Joseph Daly 2. Allan R. Millett and Jack Shulimson, The U.S. Marines: A History 3. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Daniel Daly WWI Citation