Daniel Daly, the Marine Who Earned Two Medals of Honor

Dec 19 , 2025

Daniel Daly, the Marine Who Earned Two Medals of Honor

He stood alone, muzzle blazing, as the enemy surged forward in waves—until he took up the fallen’s rifle and held the line with nothing but grit and raw guts. Sgt. Major Daniel Joseph Daly didn’t just fight battles; he carved his name in the blood-soaked annals of Marine Corps history. Twice awarded the Medal of Honor—not once, but twice—a warrior forged in the furnace of Boxer Rebellion and the trenches of World War I.

Blood and Brotherhood: The Making of a Marine

Born in New York City in 1873, Daly grew up rough—Irish roots, blue-collar grit. The kind of kid who learned early there’s no substitute for hard work or loyalty. He enlisted in the Marines in 1899, stepping into a world where honor meant everything and survival often meant sacrifice.

His faith ran deep, not flashy. A quiet belief that undergirded every mission, every painful loss. “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial,” echoed through his soul like a battle cry from James 1:12. Daly lived by a code—protect your brothers, never quit, and face death with unflinching eyes. His scars told stories. Not all were visible.

Boxer Rebellion: Standing Against the Flood

In 1900, Daly’s first Medal of Honor moment came during the Siege of Peking, China. The Boxer Rebellion was a hellish crucible—fighting for survival amid siege conditions, surrounded by enemies thirsting for blood and retribution. At the Battle of Tientsin, Daly did something almost unheard of.

With his comrades pinned down, bullets ripping through flesh and wood, Daly sprinted through a hailstorm of enemy fire to retrieve a machine gun from a disabled position. He manned it alone, firing into enemy ranks like a one-man wall. His actions saved countless lives that day. The citation reads simply: “for extraordinary heroism in combat.” But behind the words were the screams, the thunder of gunfire, and the unyielding will of a warrior who refused to bend.

“I’d rather fight against lions than fight alongside rats.”

— Sgt. Maj. Daniel Daly

The Great War: Valor in Mud and Fire

Fast forward to 1918, the fields of Belleau Wood and the brutal mud-wracked lines of the Western Front. The Great War, where death was as constant as the rain and fear was a shadow you learned to live with. At the Battle of Belleau Wood, Daly’s legend grew.

When a wave of German troops overran his position, Daly did not retreat. Instead, he grabbed a trench knife, jumped into the fray, and led charges that repelled the enemy. His fearlessness was infectious—under his lead, Marines fought like unleashed wrath. Desperate moments demanded desperate courage.

On June 3, 1918, he again earned the Medal of Honor. The official statement credited him for single-handedly checking the enemy’s advance and inspiring his men to hold critical ground. His leadership was brutal and sincere—every grunt in his company knew he would never ask them to do what he wouldn’t do first.

War’s Toll and Recognition

Two Medals of Honor, the Marine Corps’ highest decorations, do not capture the breadth of this man’s sacrifice. Daly rose to Sergeant Major, the highest enlisted rank, symbolizing not just battlefield courage but leadership forged in endless nights of death and despair.

Marine Corps lore immortalizes him as one of their greatest heroes—“The Fighting Marine,” a storm of courage wrapped in leather and sweat. Yet Daly was no glory chaser. In his words:

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

Simple. Raw. True.

His decorations read like a roadmap of American grit: the Marine Corps Brevet Medal, Navy Cross, and multiple campaign medals. Each bore witness to a man who carried the weight of war on tired shoulders without complaint.

Enduring Legacy: Courage Etched in Time

Daly’s story is not about medals or history books—it’s about the marrow-deep truth of combat: it strips you down and then builds you back tougher.

His actions teach that courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s what you do with it. That leadership means standing in the storm, rifle in hand, ready to pay the cost so your brothers might live.

In every scar lies a lesson. Not all wounds are healed by time; some demand purpose. Daly’s life reminds veterans and civilians alike that sacrifice crafts the strongest souls. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

In the endless echoes of battle, Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly stands as a fierce sentinel—proof that true valor carries forward beyond the gunsmoke. His legacy is a challenge; to face fear cause it’s right, to protect those beside you like blood kin, and to wear your scars as badges of honor and redemption.

We remember. We carry forward. We fight the good fight.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, “Daniel Joseph Daly - Medal of Honor Recipients” 2. Coffman, Edward M., The War to End All Wars: The American Military Experience in World War I, University Press of Kansas, 1998 3. U.S. Army Center of Military History, “Medal of Honor Citations: Boxer Rebellion and WWI” 4. Heinl, Robert D., Soldier-Statesman: Major General Smedley D. Butler, USMC, Naval Institute Press, 1962