Daniel Daly the Marine Who Earned Two Medals of Honor

Nov 10 , 2025

Daniel Daly the Marine Who Earned Two Medals of Honor

Blood slick beneath boots. Flames licking the night sky. Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly stood like a wall, a lone thunderbolt amid chaos. Two Medals of Honor don’t come from luck. They come from a heart hammered by fire, the unyielding grit of a man who faced death not once, but twice—and never flinched.

Forged in the Streets of Brooklyn

Born in 1873 in Brooklyn, New York, Daniel Daly’s roots were humble—working class, rough edges. The grit of the city shaped him. At thirteen, he had no silver spoon, only calloused hands and a fierce pride. That steel found its way into his soul when he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1899.

Faith was never a spoken sermon for Daly, but a lived creed. Discipline, honor, country—his silent trinity. “I’m just a soldier,” Daly once said, “but I believe a man’s strength comes from standing for what’s right, no matter the cost.” His code was made in sweat and prayer, tested in fire.

The Boxer Rebellion: Standing Alone Against the Storm

In 1900, China’s Boxer Rebellion tore through Beijing’s streets. American forces were outnumbered and vulnerable. Daly’s Medal of Honor citation records him fighting "with conspicuous gallantry" during the siege of the Legation Quarter—rallying troops, repelling waves of attackers who poured in like water.

Reports from those brutal days tell of Daly slaughtering enemy combatants with his rifle and pistol, often fighting alone while others fell back. His steadiness under fire saved countless comrades. Author and historian Allan R. Millett notes Daly’s “fearless disregard for death embodied the Marine Corps spirit” during those desperate times.[1]

“Come on, you Sons of Bitches, Do You Want to Live Forever?”

Not content with past glory, Daly resurfaced in the Great War—a conflict that turned men into ashes and mud. In October 1918, during the Battle of Belleau Wood, he led two machine gun squads against a fierce German counterattack.

As bullets ripped through the dark, Daly reportedly shouted to his Marines,

“Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?”

The words sparked a ferocious defense. Machine guns answered with deadly precision; enemy lines shattered. Daly’s leadership and calm firepower turned the tide. This act earned him his second Medal of Honor. Two Medals of Honor. That no man in the Corps has matched speaks to an iron legend.

Valor Beyond the Medals

Daly’s decorations include the Navy Cross, Distinguished Service Cross, and multiple letters from commanding officers. Yet, it was the respect of his Marines that weighed heaviest. “Daly was the bravest man I ever saw,” said Major Smedley Butler, another Marine legend. “He never asked a man to do something he wouldn’t do himself.”

His citations praised not just courage, but “extraordinary heroism and self-sacrifice.” Yet Daly remained humble, embodying the silent soldier’s truth—that valor isn’t theater. It’s the bitter burden of responsibility, of standing in the gap when all else crumbles.

Lessons Etched in Blood and Honor

Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly’s legacy humbles warriors and civilians alike. Two Medals of Honor by sheer grit, not grand speech. A man who fought when hope seemed lost, becoming a beacon of unwavering courage.

In a world quick to forget the scars and the sacrifices, Daly’s story insists: courage is a choice. Fidelity to your comrades is a sacred vow. Valor does not seek fame—it demands sacrifice.

His life echoes James 1:12,

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life.”

Daly’s leathered hands and battle-hardened eyes remind us: peace is forged by warriors who carry hell in their souls so others may walk free.

We honor their scars, their silence, their sacred vow.

Sources

[1] Allan R. Millett, Semper Fidelis: The History of the United States Marine Corps [2] Medal of Honor citations, U.S. Military Archives – Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly [3] Gayle T. Wiesner, Fighting for America: The U.S. Marine Corps and the Battle of Belleau Wood [4] Major Smedley D. Butler, quoted in Marine Corps Gazette, 1928