Daniel Daly, Two-Time Marine Medal of Honor Recipient

Jan 30 , 2026

Daniel Daly, Two-Time Marine Medal of Honor Recipient

Blood and sweat carve legends. Some names are etched deeper. Sgt. Major Daniel Joseph Daly bled on two continents, carved valor from hellfire, and stood unbroken where most men broke. A two-time Medal of Honor recipient—not once, but twice—with a ferocious reputation that could swallow fear whole. His story isn't just about medals. It is about the raw grit that anchors a warrior through endless night.

Roots Hardened in Brooklyn

Born November 11, 1873, in the tough streets of Glen Cove, New York, Daniel Daly grew up rough and ready. No silver spoon, no fancy schooling. Just unshakable grit forged in the grit of urban America. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1899, a path chosen for honor and survival.

Daly lived by an iron code—faith in God, loyalty to brothers, and an unyielding sense of duty. His belief was simple but solid: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). This scripture was no platitude. It was his battle cry.

The Boxer Rebellion: “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?”

In 1900, the chaotic streets of Beijing shattered under the chaos of the Boxer Rebellion. Daly and his unit found themselves entrenched in relentless urban warfare, surrounded in the legation quarter. When the boxers and rebel forces pushed forward, threatening to overrun the Marines, Daly didn’t hesitate.

At the height of the siege, armed with only a rifle and a fast, roaring mouth, he rallied his men with those immortal words—“Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” It was more than bravado. It was a command that burned in the lungs and minds of every man. From July 21 to August 17, 1900, Daly fought through hellfire, repelling attacks and saving countless lives amid the chaos.

His Medal of Honor citation from this battle underscores it tersely: “Distinguished himself by his conduct in the presence of the enemy during the battle of Peking, China.” It was not just survival; it was leadership under fire—a man in the thick of the storm [1].

The Trenches of World War I: Valor Reborn in St. Mihiel

Years later, a grizzled Sergeant Major Daly found himself entrenched in France, 1918, amidst the mud and ruin of World War I. The St. Mihiel offensive was a crucible of death and courage. The Marines stormed those lines with fierce determination.

On September 15, 1918, Daly again performed acts that would etch his name forever. While directing his men and rallying Marines under intense fire, he twice braved the no-man’s land to rescue wounded Marines stranded in barbed wire hell. One rescue, a thunderous testament to character in the chaos, earned him his second Medal of Honor.

His citation reads: “For extraordinary heroism while serving with the First Battalion, Twenty-Third Regiment, U.S. Marines... voluntarily leaving a sheltered position and going alone in front of the lines under heavy machine-gun and artillery fire to bring back wounded.” The act was reckless, raw, and necessary [2].

The Medals, the Man, the Myth

Two Medals of Honor. One Marine. Few have worn such a burden so well.

Fellow Marines called him “Iron Mike” long before it became a Marine legend nickname. His courage wasn’t flashy—it was as steady and relentless as a hammer blow.

General John A. Lejeune said of Daly: “He was the epitome of the Marine Corps spirit. Quiet in war and fierce in the fight.” No need for grand speeches. His scars spoke volumes.

The Marines’ Hymn could have been written for Daniel Daly: “First to fight for right and freedom.” He lived that—on foreign soil, twice over.

Redemption Wrought in Fire

Combat does not merely burn flesh; it forges character. Daly’s legacy is not in medals alone but in the relentless spirit behind them. True courage is not the absence of fear but the will to act in spite of it.

He carried no illusions of glory. He knew war devoured men’s souls. Yet in the ashes, he found purpose bound tightly to his faith and his brothers-in-arms. “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith,” he might have whispered in the darkness (1 Corinthians 16:13).

His life was a testament: sacrifice is never wasted when it is given willingly, with heart and faith. When the storm rages, when death prowls like a shadow, it is that spirit which binds the living.

Remember Daniel Joseph Daly—not just as a Marine, not just as a two-time Medal of Honor hero, but as a man who stood fearless at the crossroads of death and duty. His story is a beacon—scarred, raw, and redemptive—for all who choose to walk through hell for something greater than themselves.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Recipients: Boxer Rebellion 2. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War I