Daniel Daly, Two-Time Medal of Honor Marine at Belleau Wood

Feb 06 , 2026

Daniel Daly, Two-Time Medal of Honor Marine at Belleau Wood

Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly Jr. stood alone against a tide of enemies, bayonet fixed, sweat and blood mixing on his grime-covered face. The roar of gunfire was deafening, but his voice cut through like a battle cry, rallying Marines whose courage wavered in the face of death. No hesitation. No retreat. Just iron will. This was a man who swallowed fear and spit out valor.

Background & Faith

Born in 1873 in Glen Cove, New York, Daniel Daly knew hardship from the start. Raised in a tough Irish-American neighborhood, he learned early that life’s depth was measured in the grit beneath his boots and the steel in his spine. Enlisting at 17, Daly found purpose in the Marine Corps—a brotherhood where honor wasn’t just spoken, it was lived.

Faith ran through him like fire through dry timber. A devout Catholic, Daly believed in a higher calling beyond medals or glory. The battlefield was a crucible, a place where sacrifice met salvation. His famous motto? "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?"—words etched into Marine legend, but also a challenge born from deep conviction.

The Battle That Defined Him

His first Medal of Honor came during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. As the Marines fought street to street, Daly crawled through Chinese opposition to carry messages between besieged positions—under relentless fire. Twice wounded, he refused evacuation, raising his rifle again and again. His citation speaks to "distinguished bravery and tenacity"—phrases not enough to capture the raw courage displayed.

But it was in World War I—1918, at Belleau Wood—that Sgt. Maj. Daly’s legend was forged in steel and mud.

Facing an entrenched German machine gun nest halting the Marine advance, Daly reportedly grabbed two grenades and charged alone. When his men faltered under the hail of bullets, he yelled out the now immortal challenge:

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

He threw grenade after grenade, cleared the enemy position, and opened the path for the Marines to push forward. This single act of raw audacity galvanized his unit amid hellish slaughter. It was battlefield leadership distilled—leading from the front, embodying fearless resolve.

Recognition

A two-time Medal of Honor recipient—one of only nineteen in U.S. history—Daly’s decorations read like a chronicle of American valor. His second Medal came from WWI for the Actions at Belleau Wood, officially citing “extraordinary heroism.” Yet those words fall short of the man’s grit.

Commanders and comrades alike respected his brutal honesty and hardened heart. Marine Corps Commandant John A. Lejeune said of Daly:

“He was the fighting Marine. He was the epitome of courage and devotion.”

Daly reached rank Sgt. Maj.—a testament to his leadership as much as his fighting prowess. But his greatest trophy was the respect of those who watched bullets whiz past him and survived because he did not break.

Legacy & Lessons

Daniel Daly’s story is not just about heroic deeds or two Medals of Honor. It’s about the soul of combat—the unbearable cost, the brotherhood of survival, the sacred duty to stand fast when all seems lost.

His life speaks a brutal truth: courage is not the absence of fear. It is the harnessing of that fear for a cause greater than oneself.

“Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” — Revelation 2:10

Daly carried that promise in his heart through every dark night of battle. And with every command he barked on the frontline, he passed that mantle to the next generation of Marines.

He was no myth. No Hollywood hero. Just a man who lived by a code written in years of combat and loss—not for glory, but for those beside him in the dirt.

Today, when the sound of distant artillery reminds veterans of the price of freedom, they remember Sgt. Maj. Daly. Not for the medals he wore. But for the call he made to every Marine who ever faced death quietly—and answered with a scream.

"Do you want to live forever?" He dared them to choose legacy over life. And they did.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Recipients: Boxer Rebellion and World War I 2. Owens, Ron, Medal of Honor: Marine Corps, Turner Publishing 3. West, Bing, Belleau Wood: The Deadliest Battle of World War I