Nov 15 , 2025
Daniel Daly, Two-Time Medal of Honor Marine at Belleau Wood
Blood on the mud. Thunder in the sky. And there, standing alone — a man unbroken. Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly was that man. A warrior forged in fire, twice decorated with the Medal of Honor—the highest testament to courage America can award. His story is not just bravery. It’s grit. It’s sacrifice. It’s a blueprint for what it means to lead in the face of death.
Born of Grit and Faith
Born in Glen Cove, New York, in 1873, Daniel Daly grew up working-class, the kind of kid who learned early that life demands toughness. The streets weren’t kind. The Navy wasn’t a dream but a calling—a way out and a way up.
Daly lived by a simple, stubborn code. Loyalty, courage, faith. He carried that with him into war. His belief wasn’t just in country, but in something higher. The Bible was his anchor.
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” — 2 Timothy 1:7
This wasn’t empty words to Daly. It was a lifeline when chaos swallowed order.
The Boxer Rebellion: The First Medal of Honor
July 1900, China’s streets flooded with violence. Daly was a Private in the Marines, part of a multinational force sent to rescue diplomats trapped in Beijing. The fighting was brutal—close quarters, relentless enemy fire, and the stench of death everywhere.
In the heat of battle near Tientsin, Daly’s unit was pinned down. Outnumbered and outgunned, men faltered. Not Daly. He grabbed a rifle, charged across exposed ground, rallying his comrades with sheer force of will.
He risked everything, including his life, to carry wounded Marines back to safety. Twice, he renewed his assaults against enemy positions despite being wounded himself.
“The Marine who braves death for his brothers—he is no ordinary man.”
His first Medal of Honor citation calls it: “distinguished conduct in the presence of the enemy.” But that phrase doesn’t catch the full weight of charging headfirst into a firing squad to save others.
World War I: Valor at Belleau Wood
Fourteen years later, the horrors of The Great War dragged the world into unthinkable mud and blood. By 1918, Sgt. Maj. Daly was the senior non-commissioned officer of the 4th Marine Regiment, the legendary “Fighting Fourth.”
At the Battle of Belleau Wood, France, the Americans faced the elite German forces determined to break the Allied line. The woods became a killing ground. Trees exploded; screams pierced fog and smoke.
Daly’s men depleted, ammo low, morale frayed. Then, a surge of enemy troops threatened to overrun their position.
Daly stood exposed, blasting with his rifle. He bellowed orders like a lion commanding his pride. At one climactic moment, when his men began to waver, Daly shouted something that’s still etched deep in Marine Corps lore:
“Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?”
This was not a call for glory but a desperate plea to survive—to fight beyond fear. His leadership stemmed the tide, and the line held.
That battle earned him a second Medal of Honor—the only Marine in history to receive two, and one of just nineteen Americans to do so twice. His citation praises extraordinary heroism and fearless devotion to duty.
A Leader’s Legacy Written in Flesh and Iron
Sgt. Maj. Daly’s legacy isn’t just medals or quotes. It’s how he embodied warrior virtues: honor, sacrifice, and relentless courage. Fellow Marines called him “the fightingest Marine who ever lived.”
His scars were deeper than the skin; they were etched into the soul of the Corps.
Daly served over 30 years, rising through every rank until he became sergeant major. Even in retirement, his presence was a beacon for younger Marines learning what it meant to serve.
In his own words—spoken in stark, unvarnished truth—he summed up why he fought:
“We Marines don’t die—we just go to hell and regroup.”
His faith was never a secret, neither was his humility. He knew courage wasn’t absence of fear but the discipline to act when fear rages.
Final Reflections: Blood and Redemption
Daniel Daly’s story is carved into the trenches of history, but it’s far more than history. It’s the eternal war cry of those who serve and those who fall beside them. His life reminds us that courage is messy and raw. That true leadership means stepping forward when the world screams to step back.
He walked out of hell twice and left behind a legacy shaped by faith, grit, and undeniable humanity. For veterans carrying invisible wounds today, he whispers this: there is strength in scars, purpose in sacrifice, and redemption in every breath that follows the shot fired.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9
The Fighting Fourth’s Sergeant Major walks still—in every Marine’s heart, in every battlefield prayer. His story demands we remember: courage isn’t given. It’s earned. Through blood, sweat, and faith unyielding.
Sources
1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Citations: Daniel Joseph Daly 2. Alexander, Colonel Joseph H., The Final Battle: Marines at Belleau Wood 3. Tucker, Spencer C., The European Powers in the First World War, 2014 4. Owens, Ron, Medal of Honor: Historical Facts and Figures
Related Posts
Charles N. DeGlopper's Sacrifice in Normandy Earned the Medal of Honor
Jacklyn Lucas, Youngest Medal of Honor Marine Who Shielded Comrades
Daniel J. Daly, Medal of Honor Marine From Tientsin to Belleau