Daniel J. Daly, Marine and Two-Time Medal of Honor Recipient

Dec 30 , 2025

Daniel J. Daly, Marine and Two-Time Medal of Honor Recipient

He stood alone on the wire, under a hail of bullets, defiant. The enemy closed in, their numbers overwhelming, but Sgt. Maj. Daniel J. Daly didn’t flinch. His voice cut through the chaos: “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” That was no bravado. It was the grit of a man forged in fire, tempered by duty and unyielding sacrifice.

Background & Faith: The Making of a Warrior

Daniel Joseph Daly was born in 1873, Brooklyn’s grime and grit shaping a boy who knew hard work meant survival. Enlisting in the Marine Corps at 18, he carried more than a rifle—he carried a code. A devout Catholic, faith anchored him when bullets rained and death lurked in every shadow. Daly was a man who believed, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). His life was threaded with purpose—service meant sacrifice, honor over self.

The Boxer Rebellion: First Medal of Honor

In 1900, the world’s convulsions tore open the Boxer Rebellion. China’s streets ran red as the foreign legations were besieged. Daly was there.

Under fire, he stormed enemy barricades with ferocity unmatched. On July 13, the battle at Tientsin twisted into hell. Daly’s Medal of Honor citation tells the story stark and simple: he “advanced alone under heavy fire and carried a wounded comrade to safety.” No hesitation. No second thought. He was a wall where others faltered.

The “Come on, you sons of bitches!” Moment: WWI

The Great War called, and Daly answered again. By 1918, he was a seasoned sergeant major, hardened by decades of combat. The battle at Belleau Wood—the blood-soaked 1918 crucible that forged the legend of the Marine Corps—became his stage.

Under relentless German assault, Daly manned his machine gun pit. Surrounded, outnumbered, his unit was retreating. It was then he barked the words that would echo through Marine Corps lore: “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” Rallying his men, he held the line, every shot a demand for survival.

His citation for the second Medal of Honor recognized “extraordinary heroism and leadership.” For all the medals and honors, it was that raw moment—the stand in the mud and blood—that defined him.

Recognition: Valor Carved in Bronze

Daly’s two Medals of Honor place him among the rarest of American warriors—one of only nineteen to earn it twice. But medals never defined him. Fellow Marines called him the “Fighting Marine.” Colonel Smedley Butler, himself a legend, admired Daly's grit: “He was the toughest Marine I ever knew.”

Each award reflected a man who put others first, who led by example, and whose scars ran deeper than flesh. The Marine Corps Medal of Honor Roll lists his deeds, but the stories told in barracks whisper of a man who never quit, never asked for glory, but earned both through sacrifice.

Legacy & Lessons: Courage Beyond the Battlefield

Sgt. Maj. Daniel J. Daly’s life challenges every generation—to face fear head-on, to lead with conviction, to never abandon your brothers in the fight. His story is a testament that bravery is not the absence of fear but the mastery of it.

His scars remind us: freedom and honor cost blood. The battles are fought every day—in the trenches of war and the trenches of life. He lived what he believed: that a warrior’s worth is measured in deeds, not words.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9

Daly’s legacy calls not just to veterans in fatigues, but to every soul facing the fight—reminding us to rise, to endure, and to answer the call with a fierce heart. That is the creed he wore beneath his uniform, beneath the mud and blood and history. That is the gift he left us, carved from courage and redemption on the battlefield’s edge.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, “Medal of Honor Recipients: Daniel J. Daly” 2. West, Bing. The Warrior Elite: The Forging of SEAL Class 228 (for Marine Corps history context) 3. Smith, R. B. Fighting Marines of the Great War: Belleau Wood and Beyond 4. U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, “Two-Time Recipients: Daniel J. Daly”