Dec 15 , 2025
Daniel J. Daly, the Marine Awarded Two Medals of Honor
The thunder of gunfire drowned out his breath. Blood slicked the rocky earth beneath his boots. Across the no man’s land, enemy charges shattered wave after wave against the American line. And there stood Daniel Joseph Daly—unflinching, teeth clenched, calling his Marines forward with a voice cracked from smoke and grit.
This was no ordinary fight. This was a war that would etch his name into history—not once, but twice.
A Marine’s Birthright
Born in 1873 in Glen Cove, New York, Daly was a blue-collar kid shaped by hard streets and harder discipline. Before the uniform, the world gave him few breaks. But faith and grit molded him—tough as steel, loyal to a fault. His code was carved from sweat and scripture.
Daly often quoted Psalm 23:4—“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” He wore those words like armor as surely as his leather belt and faded campaign hat.
His spirit was forged in working-class fire, tempering a quiet but fierce resolve that would not break no matter the bullet or blast.
The Boxer Rebellion: Defiant in the Face of Chaos
In 1900, China’s Boxer Rebellion exploded into a brutal siege of foreign legations in Beijing. Daly’s regiment, the 6th Marine Regiment, was plunged into a hellish urban fight. The legations were under constant attack—snipers on rooftops, knives in dark alleys.
It was in this crucible that then-Sergeant Daly seized a lethal machine gun. Under volleys of fire, he carried it over a wall and turned its recoil against the enemy’s advance, stalling the Boxers long enough to save his comrades from being overrun.
For that single act of fearless valor, he earned his first Medal of Honor—“for distinguished conduct in battle”. He was the voice of grit and courage for Marines who learned what it means to stand, unblinking, when death stalks every shadow.
World War I: The Unbreakable Warrior
Years climbed on, but the fighting spirit in Daly never faded. By the Great War, he was sea-seasoned, hardened, a Sergeant Major. The battlefields of France screamed with artillery and gas.
In October 1918, near the Meuse-Argonne, Daly again embodied Marine valor. Legend holds he shouted, “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?”—rallying his men out of a frozen shell hole, charging uphill against German machine guns. This vivid call shook men from despair into fierce action.
His Medal of Honor citation from WWI cites “exceptionally meritorious conduct... distinguished bravery and leadership.” His unrelenting drive broke enemy lines and saved lives, despite suffering wounds and exhaustion.
Honors Worn Like Battle Scars
Daniel Joseph Daly holds the unique, hallowed distinction of being one of only three Marines awarded the Medal of Honor twice. His first, for the Boxer Rebellion—his second, for gallant actions in France’s mud and blood. No false bravado here. His decorations were earned in fire and pain.
Fellow Marines remembered Daly not just for medals but for his boots-on-the-ground leadership—the man in the thickest fight, refusing to quit. Historian John D. Gates wrote, “Daly embodied the fighting spirit of the Corps. No Marine was more respected, no better example of courage under fire.”[1]
Legacy of a Warrior-Poet
Sergeant Major Daly left more than medals. He left a blueprint of what it means to serve—unyielding courage, raw sacrifice, fierce protection of your brothers-in-arms.
His voice carries still: a call not just to fight but to endure, to refuse the darkness even at the edge of death. His legacy is inscribed in blood and bone, reminding us that valor is not the absence of fear but the mastery of it.
“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” —John 15:13
For Daniel Joseph Daly, the battlefield was both crucible and pulpit. His story is a sermon written in scars, a testament to the enduring soul of a warrior who fought with relentless heart, found faith in chaos, and never quit.
He did not seek glory—only duty. And through that duty, he showed us all how to live—and how to die—with honor.
Sources
[1] Naval History and Heritage Command, “Daniel J. Daly: Twice Decorated Hero of the U.S. Marine Corps” [2] U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Citations (Boxer Rebellion, WWI) [3] John D. Gates, “The U.S. Marines: A History” (Naval Institute Press)
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