Nov 17 , 2025

Daniel J. Daly, Marine Twice Awarded the Medal of Honor

Sgt. Major Daniel J. Daly stood alone, bullets clipping the dirt around him. A firefight raged at his back. Yet there he was—facing down a charging horde, gripping a rifle heavier with purpose than lead. No one told him to stand. No one could move him. He was a wall—unyielding, steadfast, lethal.

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The Iron Will Forged Early

Born in Glen Cove, New York, in 1873, Daniel Joseph Daly came from no silver spoons or easy roads. His boyhood carved itself in tough streets and harder lessons. Irish grit soaked into his bones. Faith wasn’t a Sunday thing—it was how you lived in hellfire. His unwavering belief in God steeled him, even in the trenches.

Daly's personal creed emerged far beyond religious doctrine. Honor meant everything. His loyalty was legendary. The warrior code he lived by demanded sacrifice without question, a selflessness bred in the marrow of Marines before him—and those to come.

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Boxer Rebellion: The First Storm

In 1900, Daly was a corporal with the 1st Marine Regiment during the Boxer Rebellion, China. The foreign legations were under siege by thousands of Boxers and Qing troops. Daly and his brothers-in-arms fought through narrow streets choked with smoke and death.

The citation for his first Medal of Honor tells a brutal truth:

“In the presence of the enemy during the battle of Peking, China, 20–22 July 1900, Corporal Daly distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism.”

He wasn’t just a soldier pushing forward—he was a symbol of resistance. Bullets and hand-to-hand chaos crashed against his defiant spirit.

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The Octave of Valor: World War I

Fourteen years later in France, Sergeant Major Daly's courage didn’t falter. The night of October 8, 1918, the Argonne Forest burned with artillery and gunfire. Amid the confusion, American lines wavered. The enemy pressed hard.

Then, a small patrol needed extraction—it had been ambushed and trapped behind German lines. The company was rattled. Daly didn’t hesitate.

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

He barked, rallying Marines into a furious counterattack. His famous cry echoed through the trees, piercing the dark with raw defiance. The patrol was saved; the lines held.

His second Medal of Honor recognized this act alone—a testament not merely to bravery, but to leadership drilled in blood and fire:

“For distinguished conduct in battle, extraordinary heroism, and unflinching courage.”

This made Daly one of only a handful of Marines twice awarded the Medal of Honor.

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The Words of Brothers and Legends

Marine General Smedley Butler, himself a two-time Medal of Honor recipient, once said of Daly:

“I’d follow Dan anywhere.”

That sums it up—the kind of leader who carries his men without falter, who holds the line with heart and grit when all seems lost. Daly’s story is etched not just in medals, but in the marrow of Marine Corps history.

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The Legacy Written in Scars

Daly’s legacy is not the glow of medals but the raw truth of sacrifice. He fought from colonial wars to the Great War’s mud and blood, not for glory, but for the brother beside him and the ideals he believed worth dying for.

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

His life is a message scorched into the conscience of every Marine who walks in his boots—the power of fearless leadership grounded in faith and purpose.

There’s a bleeding edge to courage, and Daniel J. Daly danced on it all his days. He reminds those of us who bear scars and those who marvel at them alike—the true measure of valor is the willingness to stand alone when darkness sweeps the field.

His story is not past tense. It’s the whisper in the trenches, the grit in the young Marine’s eye. It’s redemption earned in the crucible of combat, serving as a beacon for all who dare to face the storm.

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Sources

1. Military Times, “Hall of Valor: Daniel J. Daly” 2. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, “Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph Daly Biography” 3. Smedley Butler, “War is a Racket,” detailing reflections on fellow Marines 4. Medal of Honor citations published by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society

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