Jan 12 , 2026
Daniel J. Daly, the Marine Twice Awarded the Medal of Honor
The night was thick with smoke and enemy fire. Men fell like birds in a storm, and yet Sgt. Major Daniel Joseph Daly Jr. stood firm. Alone and relentless, he wrestled chaos with grit, rallying his brothers amid hell’s roar. This was no ordinary soldier. This was a warrior carved from iron, baptized by fire twice over—twice awarded the Medal of Honor.
Background & Faith: The Making of a Marine
Born in Glen Cove, New York, in 1873, Daly enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1899. The kid carried more than a rifle—he carried a code. For Daly, faith and duty were intertwined. Raised on hard work and tough love, he found strength in simple truths: honor, sacrifice, brotherhood. Those were his compass in the fog of war.
A man’s worth was measured in the scars he bore, not the medals he wore. “I’m just a soldier,” Daly said. But soldiers like him don’t come easy. Underneath that Marine uniform was a soul forged in reverence for something greater—a purpose that outlasted any battle. As Psalm 23 reminded him, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”
The Battle That Defined Him: Boxer Rebellion, 1900
The first test came in China, during the Boxer Rebellion. The foreign legations were under siege in Beijing by thousands of insurgents. Marines and soldiers had to hold the line with less than two hundred men defending the compound.
Daly’s citation for the Medal of Honor is terse but loaded with meaning:
“For extraordinary heroism in the presence of the enemy during the action at Peking, China, 20 July to 16 August 1900.”
No flowery words. No grandstanding.
During that brutal siege, Daly manned a machine gun with never-failing cool. Twice he stepped through enemy fire to supply ammunition—unhesitating, fearless. His actions bought time and saved lives. The siege lasted weeks with no reinforcements. Hunger, thirst, fear tried to break the defenders; Daly’s steady hand kept chaos at bay.
The Fiery Furnace: World War I and Belleau Wood, 1918
Fast forward nearly two decades. The Great War raged in Europe. Daly, by then a sergeant major, found himself in the visceral hell of Belleau Wood, June 1918. The woods were choked with mud, bodies, and relentless German machine guns. American troops were green, and morale was hanging by a thread.
Daly’s Medal of Honor citation for Belleau Wood is one of few in history awarded twice for valor:
“He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Sergeant Major... By his gallant and fearless leadership in hand-to-hand combat he inspired his men to hold their position, roll back the enemy’s attack, and save our front.”
The legend grew: “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?”—words Daly reportedly shouted, sparking a counterattack that turned the tide. It was raw, merciless combat. Every inch fought with teeth and blood.
He didn’t wait for orders. He didn’t flinch. He charged into the fray, dragging his men through hell and coming out alive. Scarred but unbroken.
Recognition: Two Medals, One Legacy
No Marine has ever earned two Medals of Honor for separate actions. Daly's extraordinary courage earned the highest respect.
President Woodrow Wilson handed him the second Medal in 1918. Fellow Marines called him a legend. By the time he retired, Daly embodied the Marine Corps ethos: Semper Fidelis—always faithful.
A platoon commander said of him:
“He was the closest thing we had to Old Testament fire walking on this Earth.”
Among battle-hardened men, Daly was a beacon—proof that fear could be mastered, courage cultivated. He carried humility, refusing to see himself as a hero. “I wasn’t special,” he said. “I just did my job.”
His grave at Cypress Hills National Cemetery in Brooklyn is hallowed ground—not for the medals, but for the life of sacrifice.
Legacy & Lessons: Valor Beyond the Medal
Daly’s story is blood and redemption writ large. It warns against cheap glory and cheap grace. Valor isn’t a flash of glory. It’s the grind when the world is burning. The moments when the heart screams to quit, and the soldier answers, not today.
His life teaches veterans and civilians alike that courage is a choice. Not a gift, not luck. It’s hammered out through faith, grit, and a refusal to surrender.
In a world eager to hide pain or sanitize struggle, Daly’s wounds remind us:
True bravery leaves scars.
Sacrifice is the legacy of every warrior—etched in flesh and memory.
He stood in the hellfire and came out with a story worth telling. That story still calls those who wear the uniform. And those who don’t.
“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
Daniel Joseph Daly Jr. fought not just for country, but for redemption. His life provokes a question to all who follow: What will you fight for when your world burns?
Sources
1. History Division, US Marine Corps: Medal of Honor Citations for Daniel J. Daly 2. A Hero Among Heroes: The Remarkable Life and Legacy of Sgt. Maj. Daniel J. Daly, Marine Corps Heritage Foundation 3. Joseph H. Alexander, Lost Voices of the Marine Corps (Naval Institute Press, 2001) 4. Official records, Belleau Wood battle action reports, 1918 5. William Manchester, American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964 (Relevant excerpts on Medal of Honor awards)
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