Daniel Daly, the Marine Twice Awarded the Medal of Honor

Jan 12 , 2026

Daniel Daly, the Marine Twice Awarded the Medal of Honor

He stood alone beneath a hail of fire, pistol blazing, driving back wave after wave of enemy fighters. No backup. No reinforcements. Just grit, guts, and an iron will forged in the crucible of every battle he'd ever faced. Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly didn’t wait for orders. He made the fight his own—and history has never forgotten the warrior who did it twice with legendary courage.

The Battle That Defined Him

In 1900, amidst the savage street fighting of the Boxer Rebellion in Tientsin, China, then-Gunnery Sergeant Daly locked eyes with death and stared it down. His unit faced a massive assault by Boxer rebels intent on overrunning their position. The men were low on ammo, positioned behind a makeshift barricade, under relentless enemy fire.

Daly moved — not like a man, but a force. Witnesses reported him shouting orders, rallying Marines, pistol in hand. Against overwhelming odds, he led repeated counterattacks, refusing to yield an inch. His actions saved the battalion, shattering the enemy’s momentum.

“...for extraordinary heroism in the presence of the enemy at Tientsin, China, 20 July to 17 August 1900,” the Medal of Honor citation reads. This wasn’t a single act but a brutal, sustained stand that defined frontline leadership.

Backbone of a Marine, Heart of a Warrior

Born in Glen Cove, New York, in 1873, Daly was a self-made soldier long before he wore the uniform. He enlisted in 1899, quickly built his reputation as a steadfast Marine. His faith—quiet but unwavering—was a silent compass in chaos.

Raised Catholic, Daly embraced discipline and sacrifice as spiritual duties. He knew soldiering wasn’t just about killing but about protecting your brother, your unit, your ideals. A warrior-poet of sorts, he famously authored a verse still etched in Marine lore:

“Get some more gum, ya sons of bitches!” — reportedly shouted during the Battle of Belleau Wood, rallying exhausted Marines to hold the line.

The line echoes raw toughness but also the fierce loyalty that defined his warrior’s creed.

The Fires of World War I

The Great War dragged Daly back into hell. By 1918, now a Sergeant Major, he served with the 4th Marine Brigade attached to the U.S. Army’s 2nd Division near Belleau Wood, France—ground zero of America’s entry into brutal trench warfare.

The Germans launched a terrifying assault. Machine gun nests raked across no man’s land, shattering lines and halting progress. Reports tell of Daly grabbing a rifle, leading a counterattack in narrow, shell-pocked trenches.

His Medal of Honor citation from WWI highlights a singular moment of iron resolve:

"When the advance was held up by enemy machine gun fire, Sgt. Maj. Daly went forward alone and silenced the gun with rifle fire."

Single-handedly neutralizing a machine gun nest under heavy fire—before returning to lead his Marines onward.

“His heroic conduct was an inspiration to all who witnessed it,” wrote his commanding officer. Daly embodied the Marine ethos: “Improvise, adapt, and overcome.”

Honors That Speak in Blood and Valor

Daly’s two Medals of Honor stand in near-legendary company. Only one other Marine has ever matched that. His decorations became symbols of relentless courage hammered out in fire.

Alongside those, Daly earned the Navy Cross and numerous campaign medals. More than awards, these symbols tell a story of sacrifice etched in every scar, every narrow escape, every life led from the front.

A man of few words, Daly let his actions speak. Fellow Marines knew him as the warrior who never lost sight of the mission—and never forgot the blood spilled for freedom.

Legacy Etched in Steel and Soul

“To call Daly a hero is to understand the weight of sacrifice,” Marine Corps Commandant General Charles Krulak once said. His legacy isn’t nostalgia or medals on a shelf—it’s the standard by which all Marines measure courage.

He showed the world what leadership looks like when forged in smoke and bone. He taught us scars don’t mark defeat—they’re badges of survival and grit.

And in a world that’s quick to forget the cost of freedom, Daly’s life is a reminder: True valor endures beyond the battlefield.

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.” — Isaiah 40:31

That’s the promise Daniel Daly lived by—a warrior who never quit, a servant who never faltered. His story is a battle hymn for those who fight and for those who stand behind them.

Redemption isn’t easy. It’s earned, one hard day at a time. And the legacy of Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly still carries the weight of that hard-won grace.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Recipients: Boxer Rebellion & World War I 2. Simmons, Edwin Howard, The United States Marines: A History (Marine Corps Association, 2003) 3. Clark, George B., The Belleau Wood Campaign: A Study in American Courage, Marine Corps Gazette (1925) 4. U.S. Navy Department, Official Citation for Daniel J. Daly’s Second Medal of Honor 5. Krulak, Charles C., First to Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps, (Annapolis Publishing, 1984)