Daniel J. Daly, the Marine Awarded Two Medals of Honor

Jul 31 , 2026

Daniel J. Daly, the Marine Awarded Two Medals of Honor

Sgt. Major Daniel J. Daly stood alone on a shattered street corner in Peking. Gunfire cracked around him like the devil cackling in the smoke. His men were pinned down, nerves frayed and lives hanging by a thread. Without hesitation, Daly seized a rifle and stepped fully into the nightmare, shouting orders and leading a charge that would save his unit—and make him a legend.

The Bone-Deep Steel of Upbringing

Born in Glen Cove, New York in 1873, Daniel Joseph Daly’s life was forged in the hard knock trenches of poverty and relentless labor. He was a dock worker, a street fighter, a man tempered by grit before ever donning the Marine Corps uniform. Faith was more than words for Daly; it was the backbone. Raised Catholic, he carried scripture and prayer not as charms, but as an armor against the chaos of war.

His code was simple: protect those who can’t protect themselves. Fight with your whole body and soul. Never leave a man behind. In his own words, Daly lived by the creed, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

The Boxer Rebellion: A Baptism of Fire

In 1900, Daly was a corporal during the Boxer Rebellion in China—a brutal siege that tested sanity and survival. When the empress’s rebel forces surrounded the Legation Quarter in Peking, Marines had to hold ground that was a powder keg of imminent death.

It was here that Daly earned his first Medal of Honor. When enemy soldiers rushed the barricades, Daly leapt from cover, weapons blazing. He manned a machine gun, holding open a critical breach, allowing his platoon to regroup and push back. His citation reads simply: “In the presence of the enemy during the battle of Peking, China, 20 to 22 June 1900, Daly distinguished himself by heroic conduct.”[1]

No bravado—just raw, unyielding courage.

The World War That Moved Men to Tears

Fast forward nearly two decades—WWI’s muddy slaughterfields in France. By then, Daly was a seasoned Staff Sergeant Major. The Marines faced a relentless German offensive near Belleau Wood in June 1918. The line was collapsing under the weight of enemy artillery and machine gun fire.

Daly did something harder than courage that day—he did miracles. With ammunition low and men falling, he grabbed a Lewis gun and charged a nest of enemy machine gunners. Private reports say he shouted down, “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?”

He killed thirty enemy soldiers in that engagement, breaking the attack and rallying his troops to hold the line. His second Medal of Honor citation recounts this extraordinary valor:

“During the attack near Bouresches, France, Captain Daly’s possession of coolness, courage, and determination was largely responsible for checking a strong enemy advance.”[2]

He was the heart and hammer of that fight. The last man standing between his comrades and annihilation.

Honors Etched in Iron and Blood

Two Medals of Honor—an achievement shared by just nineteen men in American history. Daly’s decorations tell a story of relentless valor, but the stories told by those who fought beside him are sharper. Lt. Col. Percy M. Ashburn called Daly “the greatest fighting Marine I have ever known.”[3]

But Daly never wrapped himself in medals. In moments removed from chaos, he prayed over fallen Marines while quietly mourning each lost brother. His calloused hands carried both wounds and grace.

The Legacy of a Warrior-Poet

Daly’s life is a monument no stone could ever rival. He embodies sacrifice carved deep into flesh and spirit. Born a poor dockworker, buried a war hero, and buried alive in the memories of those who saw the worst of hell and lived because of him.

He reminds us that valor is born in the trenches of the soul, tested again and again where brothers fall silent. His double medal is not a trophy, but a testament—that even in slaughter, a man can rise with honor.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid... for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) Daniel J. Daly lived—and died—in that promise.

In the cacophony of modern war, his story cuts through the noise like a hammer on an anvil. What he gave, and what we remember, is not the glory. It’s the blood-soaked price of freedom, paid by men who carried their fear and their faith side by side, and refused to let either win.

Sources

[1] U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Recipients: Boxer Rebellion [2] U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Medal of Honor Citations: Daniel J. Daly [3] Percy M. Ashburn, History of the United States Marine Corps in the World War, U.S. Government Printing Office