Daniel Daly, Two-Time Medal of Honor From Peking to Belleau

Dec 05 , 2025

Daniel Daly, Two-Time Medal of Honor From Peking to Belleau

Blood and steel meet in the heat of battle—there, Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly stood unflinching. Bullets tore the air, and chaos bled through the streets of Tientsin and Belleau Wood. Yet this Marine—scarred, relentless—moved like a ghost on fire. Two Medals of Honor don’t come easy. They are earned in hell, sweat, and steel. Daly’s story is not just valor; it’s the raw truth of what it means to lead when death is the closest shadow.

Origins of Iron and Faith

Born in Glenmore, New York, 1873, Daniel Daly took the Marine Corps’ grueling path at eighteen. He wasn’t born into glory; it was forged with grit and blood. The streets of New York and the barracks of Parris Island shaped a man who would bleed for his brothers and country with unwavering loyalty.

Daly’s faith was quietly woven into his fierce code—the belief that sacrifice is never in vain, and every man can be called to something greater than himself. “Greater love hath no man than this,” scripture that would echo through his actions. His creed was simple: stand when others fall. Lead when others hesitate.

The Battle That Defined Him: Boxer Rebellion, 1900

The first Medal of Honor came during the Boxer Rebellion in China. Amid the siege of the foreign legations in Peking, Daly’s reputation grew. He was part of the Eight-Nation Alliance—facing a web of death from a fanatic uprising.

In July 1900, under relentless fire, Daly and his comrades held the line against waves of armed Boxers. When ammunition ran low, Daly reportedly took up two rifles at once, firing from each shoulder, a living wall against the enemy. His courage under siege saved countless lives, standing like a bulwark against the storm.

The citation reads simply: “For extraordinary heroism in the presence of the enemy at Peking, China.” But behind those words lay nights soaked in fear and those bullets that found their marks because of his grit.

The Inferno of World War I: Belleau Wood, 1918

Two decades later, the First World War cast Daly back into the fires of combat—this time in Europe’s colossal bloodbath.

By 1918, Sgt. Maj. Daly was the Marine Corps’ oldest combatant, yet his spirit burned hotter than ever. Belleau Wood was a crucible that tested every bone, every breath. German stormtroopers advanced like a tide of iron, ripping through blood and mud.

Daly’s second Medal of Honor covers actions in June 1918, where his leadership and bravery blazed trails through chaos. Most notably, on June 6th, at Bouresches, under heavy machine gun fire, Daly shouted down from his position to the men advancing, rallying and directing them with fierce precision. His actions threw off the enemy’s balance, turning the tide in a battle that many remember as a defining moment for the U.S. Marine Corps.

“When the Marines advanced, Daly was in the very front, cool, steady, and unafraid.” — Lt. Clifton Cates, future Commandant of the Marine Corps

Honors Etched in Valor

Daly’s rare distinction as a two-time Medal of Honor recipient places him among the legends of American military history. No man fit the Marine ideal more: honor, courage, and commitment lived through every breath.

His citations:

- Boxer Rebellion Medal of Honor (1901): For extraordinary heroism in Peking, China.

- World War I Medal of Honor (1918): For distinguished conduct and intrepidity in action near Bouresches, France.

He also earned Navy Crosses and countless endorsements from Marines who followed his lead and never doubted his drive.

His contemporaries called him “the fightingest Marine”, a sobriquet earned not in rhetoric but in blood and steel.

A Legacy of True Grit and Redemption

Daly died in 1937, his boots worn but his story eternal. He didn’t fight for medals. He fought for brothers beside him, the defense of the country, and a cause larger than himself.

In a war-scarred world, his life is testimony: courage isn’t absence of fear—it’s mastery of it. True leadership comes from the trenches, when the world falls apart.

“Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9

Daly’s creed rebels against the flash and hollow. It is bone-deep resolve and sacrifice.

For veterans—his scars echo yours. For civilians—his story breathes a warning and a prayer. Valor lives in action, in sacrifice, and the unshakable will to endure. Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly didn’t just fight history. He etched a legacy of redemption in the dark, bloodied pages of war.

His life reminds us: In the fiercest battles, courage is the last true victory.