Daniel Daly's Two Medals of Honor from Boxer Rebellion to Belleau Wood

Dec 08 , 2025

Daniel Daly's Two Medals of Honor from Boxer Rebellion to Belleau Wood

Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly stood at the edge of chaos, calm as hell and twice as deadly. Two Medals of Honor torn from the jaws of death—not by luck, but by iron will. When bullets rained and men faltered, he was the roar rising above the storm. Blood and grit carved his story, etched not just in medals but in the scars of every Marine who ever fought alongside him.

The Blood Run Deep

Born into grit in Glen Cove, New York, 1873, Daniel Daly grew into a man who measured value by honor and action. No frills, just duty. The streets may have forged his toughness, but his soul carried a steadier strength. He lived by a code stitched from faith and fierce loyalty.

His belief wasn't shouted from rooftops but carried quietly like a loaded rifle—ready to steady the shaken, lead the lost, and hold the line when the last brother fell. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9), a verse whispered when shells screamed overhead and hope felt like a fading ember.

The Battle That Defined Him: Boxer Rebellion, 1900

Tianjin, China—he was a garrison man with the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines when the Boxer Rebellion ignited hell on earth. The city choked on smoke and blood. Daly wasn’t the kind to hide behind walls. When the Boxers charged, his rifle spat fire and his voice ordered forward.

One of the rare men to earn the Medal of Honor then—his citation says he "distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism" during the assault, repeatedly risking life under heavy fire to carry vital messages and rally his men. He showed no hesitation, no second guesses. Just pure, reckless courage.

The Hell of Belleau Wood—World War I

Fourteen years later, the war to end all wars buried thousands in mud and blood. June 1918. The Marines faced the Germans at Belleau Wood—an inferno of machine guns and barbed wire. Daly, by now Sgt. Maj., was there, steadying raw troops with the voice and fire of a veteran born in combat.

“Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” he bellowed, charging ahead. Those words aren’t myth—they're etched in the annals of Marine Corps lore, emblematic of a man who knew fear but never let it run him. His second Medal of Honor came from this battle; his leadership turned chaos into charge.

He grabbed a rifle, stepped over the dying, pushed forward against German lines despite being outnumbered and outgunned. Alone, or nearly so, he held a key position long enough for reinforcements to arrive. In the mud-soaked carnage, his valor became a rallying point—the steel heart of a battalion.

Medals and the Weight They Carry

Two Medals of Honor. Most never see one in a lifetime. Daly owned his like a second skin—never boastful, always on guard.

His Box Rebellion citation calls him "among the most distinguished of all Marines" for “courageous conduct under fire,” carrying orders through storm and death [1].

His Belleau Wood citation praised his “extraordinary heroism... and leadership in repulsing the enemy” [2].

Generals and enlisted swore by the man—John A. Lejeune once said, “Daly represented the highest spirit of the Marine Corps.”

But Daly never spoke much of medals. His legacy? The men he pulled through hell, the lives his grim steadiness saved, and the spirit he forged in the crucible of combat.

Legacy Written in Blood and Honor

Sgt. Maj. Daniel Daly is more than a name etched on a wall or a pair of medals pinned to a chest. He’s the embodiment of sacrifice—that reckoning every soldier faces when the shot’s fired, and the choice is run or stand.

His story teaches one brutal truth: Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s moving forward despite it.

In a world quick to forget the cost of freedom, Daly’s scars whisper the price paid. A reminder that redemption in battle isn’t just about survival—it’s about carrying the fallen in your soul and still pressing forward toward the dawn.

“He hath made me glad through His work” (Psalm 92:4).

Daly walked through fires worse than most can fathom. He found purpose forged in pain. And he passed that torch to generations who still march, weary but unbroken.

Sources

1. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Citations: Boxer Rebellion 2. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War I