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

Nov 17 , 2025

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

Sgt. Major Daniel Joseph Daly stood amid the chaos, bullets tearing through the thick Shanghai air. Around him, Marines fell. Still, he moved forward. Time slowed. He grabbed a fallen comrade’s rifle, swung it like a club, and roared at the enemy lines. One man against a tide—and for a moment, that man was a thunderclap of wrath and courage that no beast or bullet could quell.

Born of Grit and Gospel

Daly’s story began in Glen Cove, New York, in 1873. Raised in a working-class Irish family hardened by hardship, he grew up tough as old leather but carried something deeper: a quiet faith and unbreakable code of honor.

The Catholic church shaped him, taught him sacrifice not as weakness but as strength. He knew the weight of pain but never the meaning of surrender. “God’s will is done in the mud and blood just as much as in the pews,” he might have said, living that truth every day.

He joined the Marine Corps in 1899, not for glory, but for duty. Dismiss the notion of a glory seeker—Daly was forged in sacrifice, tempered by faith, and fueled by loyalty to his men.

The Boxer Rebellion: Defiant Against the Flood

In 1900, at the Battle of Tientsin during the Boxer Rebellion, the blistering summer sun could not dull the ferocity engulfing the city. Daly’s unit was tasked with holding their ground against a determined Chinese force.

During a pivotal assault, Daly singlehandedly repelled enemy fighters attempting to overrun his position. He waded through bullets, bayonets flashing, and—undaunted—opened fire where others had faltered. Twice awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in this campaign, his citation speaks blunt truth:

“For distinguished conduct in the presence of the enemy at Tientsin, China, 13 July 1900, and for extraordinary heroism.”¹

The Medal was given for the kind of valor that pushes a man beyond his limits—the kind born not of self but of brotherhood and duty.

The Great War: Holding the Line in Belleau Wood

World War I came, and with it, new hell. The Battle of Belleau Wood, June 1918, marked the turning point in America’s fight in Europe. Daly, now a seasoned Sergeant Major, carried scars from past wars but bore a heart undiminished.

The woods were exploding—shells, machine guns tearing at flesh and earth. American Marines were pinned down, flanking maneuvers stalled under horror. It was Daly who rallied the shattered units, yelling orders in the voice of thunder:

“Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?”²

That line—etched in Marine Corps lore—was more than bravado. It was challenge, prayer, and cry rolled into one, breaking the paralysis of fear and turning it into ferocious advance.

Daly’s leadership held men together under impossible odds. Marines surged forward and wrested the woods from German control. For his fearless leadership and valor, Daly received his second Medal of Honor:

“For extraordinary heroism in action while serving with the 6th Marine Regiment at Belleau Wood, France, 26–27 June 1918.”¹

Few have worn that Medal twice. Fewer still earned it with words and deeds that ignited the very will to survive and fight.

Hard Metal, Harder Soul

Daly’s awards were many, but medals alone fail to capture the man. Fellow Marines remembered him for grit and rough kindness. General John A. Lejeune said:

“There has never been an enlisted man in the Corps who surpassed Sergeant Major Daly in loyalty, courage, and devotion to duty.”³

The battles didn’t break him—they steeled him.

A man who understood the scars of war were not only physical but spiritual. His faith endured through the mud and blood, carving a legacy where valor meant saving men, not taking trophies.

Legacy: Courage Beyond the Battlefield

Daniel Daly’s lessons cut clear through time: Courage is not absence of fear but action because of it. Leadership is not rank, but the willingness to stand in hell and pull others out. Redemption is fighting every day not just to survive—but to serve a cause greater than self.

He showed the world what it means to be a Marine—and a man.

“Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9

The soil soaked with Daniels’ blood and sweat whispers still to every warrior who picks up arms. Not for glory. Not for medals. But for the brother beside him. For the road home. For justice carved in sacrifice. For the weight carried silently by those who bear the scars.

In that quiet strength, Sgt. Major Daniel J. Daly still fights—and still leads.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Citations: Daniel J. Daly 2. Weintraub, Stanley. "Commanders: The Greatest Fighting Leaders of the Twentieth Century" 3. Lejeune, John A. "The Reminiscences of General John A. Lejeune"