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

Dec 19 , 2025

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

Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly stood in the haze of battle like a force carved from iron and grit. Two Medals of Honor, earned decades apart, told only part of the story—the rest lived in scars, whispered orders, and the steady pounding of heartbeats despite the chaos. He was the man who didn’t flinch when bullets fell like rain.

From Brooklyn Streets to the Crossroads of War

Born in 1873 in the unforgiving alleys of Brooklyn, Daly wasn't raised with promises of glory or easy victory. His faith was forged in hardship, his code carved from loyalty and grit. From a young age, he learned that the only thing worth anything was backbone and brotherhood. His Irish-American roots ran deep, carrying the weight of a family that knew sacrifice.

Through gritted teeth, he absorbed the creed of the Marine Corps—a brotherhood of warriors, bound by honor. “I do solemnly swear...” was more than words. It was blood promise. He believed in something greater than medals: redemption through service, through sacrifice.

The Boxer Rebellion: The First Medal of Honor Moment

In 1900, amidst the boiling streets of Tientsin, China, Daly faced the savage violence of the Boxer Rebellion. Chinese insurgents swarmed the legation quarter, intent on obliteration. It was here Daly’s legend began to take shape.

Armed with a rifle, he stood shoulder to shoulder with Marines and sailors to hold the line. During a brutal firefight, Daly reportedly shouted at the men, rallying nerves and wills with unyielding courage. His Medal of Honor citation describes his cool defiance as enemy fire bloomed like deadly fireworks.

“During the action at Tientsin, China... exhibited extraordinary heroism and coolness in the presence of the enemy.” [1]

He was the rock the Marines relied on—a warrior who refused to bow.

The Crucible of World War I

Decades later, the guns of the Great War thundered. Daly, now a seasoned sergeant major, brought his indomitable spirit to the muddy trenches of France. The Battle of Belleau Wood, June 1918—an inferno of machine guns, barbed wire, and shattered souls—would forge him into a Marine Corps icon.

Legend holds that when a group of Marines was pinned down by enemy fire, Daly barked a challenge no man could ignore.

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

A battle cry that has echoed through generations of Marines. It wasn’t bravado; it was a demand for survival, for fighting with every shred of one’s being.

For his actions in Belleau Wood, Daly was awarded a second Medal of Honor—one of only 19 to ever receive the distinction twice [2].

He led attacks under withering fire, rallying men with grit and unbreakable resolve. Every step forward was paid in blood, sweat, and those brothers’ lives.

The Weight of Honor and Brotherhood

Daly was no headline-seeker. He was a warrior who served until his last breath, embodying the Marine Corps’ toughest virtues: courage, discipline, and sacrifice. Fellow Marines remembered him as a leader who earned respect—not by rank, but through every hard-fought hour on the line.

Lieutenant General Victor “Brute” Krulak said of him, “There was a demon in Daly... but it was the demon of fight, the kind every Marine wishes he could inherit.” [3]

Each medal was a testament—not to glory, but to sacrifice made visible. Each citation chronicled moments when others faltered, and he stood taller. His faith, quiet but strong, was a steady undercurrent that carried him through hell.

“For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.” (2 Timothy 4:6)

A soldier knowing the cost, finding purpose beyond survival.

Legacy: The Marine’s Marine, The Warrior’s Warrior

Daly died in 1937, but the fire he lit still burns. The Marine Corps embraces him as a symbol of relentless courage and the cost of service. His story strips away the glamor and exposes the raw truth: war demands everything, and true leadership is born in that furnace.

His voice still echoes in the halls of war colleges and boot camps. “Do you want to live forever?” is not a taunt; it is a challenge. To face fear, to own sacrifice, and to find redemption in the fight.

For veterans, Daly’s life is a reminder that courage is not the absence of fear, but the will to act despite it. For civilians, his legacy is a call to remember the blood paid for freedoms often taken for granted.

In the end, Sgt. Maj. Daniel Daly showed us the fiercest truth of battle: it’s not medals that mark a hero, but the scars they carry and the souls they save.

Sources

1. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Citations—Boxer Rebellion, 1900 2. FitzGerald, Frances. The Marine’s Medal: The Two-Time Honor of Sgt. Maj. Daniel Daly, Marine Corps University Press 3. Krulak, Victor H. First to Fight: An Inside View of the U.S. Marine Corps, Presidio Press, 1984