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

Jan 07 , 2026

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

He was the man who stood his ground when hell broke loose—unswerving, unyielding, a steel wall trimmed in Marine Corps green. When the bullets rained and chaos swallowed the field, Sgt. Major Daniel Joseph Daly answered with relentless courage. Twice, he earned the Medal of Honor—an honor reserved for few. His story is carved in the flames of the Boxer Rebellion and the mud of the Great War, a testament to what valor looks like when fear doesn’t stand a chance.

The Roots of Iron Resolve

Born in 1873 to an Irish immigrant family in New York City, Daly grew up amid grit and hardship. The streets honed his toughness, the Church steeled his soul. His faith never wavered—it anchored him through every firefight. The Marines came calling in 1899, and he answered without hesitation. His personal code was clear: loyalty, honor, and sacrifice.

_"I have always felt that a man without courage cannot be a man at all,"_ reported a Marine who served under him. Faith was not just a belief system for Daly; it was his shield and compass. Scripture like James 1:2-4—“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials…”—was lived in every grueling campaign.

Boxer Rebellion: The First Crucible

In 1900, the Marines landed in China amid the Boxer Rebellion, a brutal siege in Tientsin. Daly’s actions there became legend. When the legations were surrounded by thousands of enemy combatants, panic threatened the defenders. Daly calmed the lines and led a daring counterattack that broke the siege’s edge.

The citation for his first Medal of Honor reads:

“For extraordinary heroism in the presence of the enemy during the battle of Tientsin, China, July 13, 1900… Sergeant Major Daly volunteered and carried a message under heavy enemy fire.” [1]

It was not just his guts but his grit—taking orders and making impossible decisions instant, direct, ruthless. When the call came for runners through machine-gun fire, he ran without hesitation.

First World War: Valor Amid the Vermin and Mud

Fourteen years later, the Great War swallowed millions of young men, and Daly was there once more—now a seasoned leader in the trenches of France. His later Medal of Honor was awarded for his courage at the Battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918.

The battlefield was hellish—poor visibility, shrieking artillery, and unrelenting attacks by German machine guns. While leading Marines through this hell, Daly reportedly shouted across the lines:

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

This outburst became an immortal rallying cry in Marine Corps lore. Under fire, he repeatedly exposed himself to enemy bullets, rallying his men to hold the line and press forward in the face of slaughter.

His second Medal of Honor citation states:

“For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty… single-handedly attacked a machine gun emplacement and killed the entire crew.” [2]

This was a man who knew the faces of death well, yet chose action over fear every time.

Recognition Beyond Medals

Only three Marines have ever received two Medals of Honor. Daly's decorations aren’t just awards; they mark moments where one man defied the impossible. For decades after, Marines told stories of the “Fighting Marine” who refused to fall back, even when others did.

Colonel John A. Lejeune, the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps, called Daly “the eternal example of courage and dedication” in his official eulogy. Fellow Marines respected him not only for valor but for ironclad integrity and personal sacrifice.

“He was the bravest soul that ever wore the uniform,” said Major General Smedley Butler, another two-time Medal of Honor recipient. “He fought like a tiger, but carried the heart of a man called to serve.”

Legacy Etched in Flesh and Faith

Daly’s life was war marked by scars yet shaped by something far greater than battle. Sacrifice was not a casualty; it was his calling. His story demands more than admiration—it demands remembrance of what it means to fight for others when the night’s darkest.

In a world that often forgets the cost of freedom, Sgt. Major Daniel Joseph Daly’s legacy screams truth: courage is born in the pit of fear, and redemption walks hand in hand with sacrifice.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13

Daly stands immortal—not just on a medal’s face—but in every heartbeat of a Marine who faces adversity without flinching. He reminds us all: true warriors endure beyond the gunfire. They live in the stories we tell, the sacrifices we honor, and the freedom they bled to secure.

Sources

[1] U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Citation for Sgt. Major Daniel Daly – Boxer Rebellion, 1900. [2] U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Citation for Sgt. Major Daniel Daly – WWI, 1918. Lejeune, John A., Commandant’s Eulogy for Sgt. Major Daniel Daly, Marine Corps Archives. Butler, Smedley D., War is a Racket, 1935.