Daniel Daly, the Marine Who Earned Two Medals of Honor

Dec 08 , 2025

Daniel Daly, the Marine Who Earned Two Medals of Honor

Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly Jr. stood alone, under a hailstorm of bullets, with nothing but a rifle and raw guts. The enemy swarmed. His men faltered. He roared, leveled his weapon, and met death head-on. In that hell, amid raging fire and chaos, Daly became the embodiment of Marine Corps grit: unyielding, fearless, a living legend.

Background & Faith

Born in Glen Cove, New York, in 1873, Daly was forged in the fires of working-class grit. No silver spoon, no fancy pedigree—just muscle, resolve, and a hard heart refusing to break. Enlisted in 1899, the Corps became his family, his code, his faith.

He believed deeply in sacrifice and redemption. “God’s will moves through the actions of men,” a phrase he lived by. His discipline was absolute—rooted in a rugged code of honor intertwined with a quiet, steadfast faith. It’s said he carried a Bible, not just as comfort, but as armor.

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” — Matthew 5:9

This scripture echoed in the relentless heat of combat and cooled his soul amid the bloodshed.

The Battle That Defined Him

In 1900, the Boxer Rebellion gripped Asia. China's streets burned. Foreign legations were under siege. Daly’s task force was pinned down. When defenders wavered, Daly charged out into certain death. Through gunfire and shattered streets, he rallied his Marines.

His first Medal of Honor citation tells this brutal truth: For distinguished conduct in the presence of the enemy at the battle of Peking, China, 29 June 1900, Daly assisted in the erection of barricades under heavy fire and fought with extraordinary heroism.

Years later, the horrors of World War I would paint another canvas of valor. At Belleau Wood, in June 1918, the earth was torn apart by artillery and screams. Daly, now a Gunnery Sergeant, stood his ground against a relentless German attack. When a French regiment on his flank faltered, Daly gathered a handful of men, fixed his bayonet, and led a savage countercharge. The enemy pulled back.

He is reputed to have shouted:

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

That phrase still roars through Marine Corps lore, a call to action etched in blood and iron. It inspired a charge that held the line during one of the war’s deadliest battles.

For this, in 1918, Daly earned his second Medal of Honor—the only Marine to have ever received the medal twice for separate acts of valor.

Recognition

Two Medals of Honor. Silver Star. Navy Cross. These are not just decorations but the bloody testimonies of relentless courage.

Marine Corps legend, Lieutenant General Lewis “Chesty” Puller, said of Daly:

“There is only one Marine, and that is Daniel Daly.”

The Marine Corps scholastic institutions later enshrined him not just as a warrior but as a paragon of leadership—tough, fair, and unwavering. His medals hang heavy in the annals of American military history, a testament to an eternal warrior’s heart.

Legacy & Lessons

Daly’s story transcends medals. It's about the price of courage, the sacrifice in the face of overwhelming darkness. His valor was no reckless bravado but a purposeful stand—to protect, to inspire, to outlast.

He showed the world that true leadership means charging forward when retreat is easier. It means biting down on the pain, on doubt, and acting anyway. It means knowing some days will be written in blood. But faith and honor carve out a legacy that no bullet can kill.

“I have fought many battles, but none as fierce as the fight within myself.” — A reflection attributed to Daly

His legacy is a call, a warning, and a balm to those bruised by war’s endless scope: courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s the mastery of it. Sacrifice is not in vain because it writes an immortal chapter in the story of freedom.

The battlefield is silent now, but men like Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly Jr. still speak. In each shattered veteran, in every scar carried silently beneath civilian skin, his fierce heartbeat echoes. Not for glory, not for fame—but for the brothers who stood beside him, and the future they fought to protect.

“For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control.” — 2 Timothy 1:7

He fought so we might live. He bled so the line might hold. Remember him—not simply as a warrior, but as the embodiment of sacrifice that redeems.