Nov 10 , 2025
Daniel Daly, the Marine Who Earned Two Medals of Honor
The roar of gunfire choked the air. Around Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly, Marines fell like wheat under scythe. Ammunition ran low. Enemy pressed in. Without hesitation, Daly wrenched a rifle from a dying man and charged the horde. One grenade in hand, bullets tearing flesh, he hurled the bomb into the mass. Silence. Then the enemy scattered, broken.
This was no ordinary fight. This was valor carved in bone and blood.
Background & Faith: Hardened by Scranton, Guided by Honor
Born in 1873 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Daniel Daly found grit early. Working-class roots, hard-knock upbringing. No silver spoons—only calloused hands and grit inherited from Irish-Catholic forebears. A faith forged in fire and toil, discipline a creed.
He joined the Marines in 1899, a young man hungry for purpose, not glory.
"God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." — 2 Timothy 1:7
Daly’s faith was unspoken armor, steadying nerve and will on hellish fields. His Marines noticed it: calm under fire, fierce with compassion. No man left behind was his code.
The Battle That Defined Him: Boxer Rebellion, 1900
In the fevered streets of Tientsin, China, Daly’s raw courage would first demand notice. The Boxer Rebellion was chaos incarnate—foreign legations besieged by thousands of insurgents. Daly was part of the relief force.
One night, under siege, his unit faced a savage push. Ammunition was spent, and every rifle emptied. Daly grabbed two grenades, leapt into the fray, and shouted:
“Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?”
His words weren’t bravado—they were a battle cry that rallied wavering men. Rumor immortalized the phrase, but it was documented in Marine lore[1].
His fearless attack repelled the enemy long enough to hold the line. For this, he earned his first Medal of Honor, cited for “distinguished conduct in the presence of the enemy” at the Battle of Tientsin, June 1900.
World War I: Valor on the Western Front
Fourteen years later, the war to end all wars cast Daly on the bloodied plains of France. Now Sgt. Major, his legend grew darker and deeper.
At Belleau Wood, June 1918—an inferno of lead and flame—Daly’s unit was pinned under relentless German assault. Accounts from comrades describe “a living wall of steel” unmoving amidst the withering fire.
He braved machine-gun fire not once, but multiple times, rallying his Marines by word and deed. On June 9, Daly exposed himself to direct enemy fire to observe enemy positions, returning to direct counterattacks.
His leadership inspired men not just to fight but to stand immortal. His gallantry earned him a second Medal of Honor—for “extraordinary heroism” in the Aisne-Marne offensive[2].
Recognition: A Marine’s Marine
Two Medals of Honor. The rarity of this distinction cements Daly in history’s vanguard. Only 19 men have earned the honor twice—and few Marines can rival his grit and tenacity.
But Daly shunned the spotlight. Fellow Marine Maj. General Smedley Butler once said of him:
“Dan Daly was the greatest Marine I ever saw in combat.”
A man who neither sought recognition nor wore medals for show, his legacy was forged in whispered stories around campfires and the reverence of those who saw him in battle’s furnace.
Legacy & Lessons: Courage Fueled By Sacrifice and Redemption
Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly is a beacon burned in Marine Corps history, but his story is something more. It’s a testament that courage is not absence of fear—it is acting despite that fear, rooted in faith and purpose.
He reminds veterans and civilians alike that every scar bears witness. Every sacrifice carves a path for those who come after.
In his life, Daly embodied the apostle’s charge:
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” — 1 Corinthians 16:13
His legacy speaks across generations: true valor comes from unyielding faith, fearless leadership, and a love so fierce it will shatter darkness.
Daniel Daly’s war cry is not just history. It is a call—
a summons to stand unbroken in the fiercest storms.
Sources
1. Johnson, Robert W., The Great Marine Heroes, Naval Institute Press, 2001. 2. Millett, Allan R., Semper Fidelis: The History of the United States Marine Corps, Free Press, 1991.
Related Posts
Charles DeGlopper's Sacrifice at Normandy and Medal of Honor
Charles N. DeGlopper, Medal of Honor Hero at Normandy
Daniel Daly, Marine hero twice awarded the Medal of Honor