Daniel J. Daly, the Marine Who Earned Two Medals of Honor

Jan 05 , 2026

Daniel J. Daly, the Marine Who Earned Two Medals of Honor

Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly didn't wait for orders to fight. In the chaos, he saw what needed to be done—and he did it. Fearless. Relentless. A force that turned the tide. Not once, but twice, earning the Medal of Honor for valor that makes the word meaningless when just whispered.

From Brooklyn Streets to Battlefield Soil

Born in 1873, Brooklyn raised him tough and scrappy. Raised Catholic, he carried more than a gun; he carried a code—a faith tested by fire. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” but Daly knew peace was earned in the mud and blood. Before he was a Marine, he was a man who learned sacrifice young.

His Catholic roots welded into his Marine Corps values forged something rare. No hesitation when a brother needed cover, no fear looking down the barrel of hell’s mouth. Faith wasn’t just comfort—it was steel in his spine.

The Boxer Rebellion: Holding the Line at Tientsin

June 1900, Tientsin, China. The Boxers and Imperial troops surged in waves. The streets burned. Daly’s battalion was outnumbered, pinned in hellish street fighting. When ammunition ran low and Marines faltered, Daly grabbed a rifle and singlehandedly stopped an enemy charge. Twice Medal of Honor-worthy conduct.

He charged like a man possessed. No orders needed. Just courage. Marines called him “the fightingest Marine in all the Corps.” These words came not from flattery but from scars and bodies buried side by side.

WWI: The Battle for Belleau Wood

By 1918, Daly was a seasoned warrior, a Sergeant Major. The Great War tore Europe apart. At Belleau Wood, the Marine Corps faced a maelstrom of German machine guns and artillery. Daly was there, steady in the storm.

When his men wavered under hail of bullets, Daly stood tall, rallying with fierce words and steadiness. Accounts tell of his hand grenade throw—crafted like a violent prayer—turning enemy trenches in favor of his company. Bellows filled the air: “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” It was Sgt. Maj. Daly’s rallying cry, summed up not with brashness but desperate survival and shared grit.

“To us, this war came like all wars have come to the Corps, a calling to defend the nation wherever duty called.” — Sgt. Maj. Daniel J. Daly

Two Medals of Honor: Valor Etched in Steel and Flesh

Daly is one of only a few Marines—and Americans—to receive two Medals of Honor, from two different conflicts. His first for valor at Tientsin, the second for heroic action during the Battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918.

The citations are brief, but the legacy is loud. President Theodore Roosevelt reportedly said Daly exemplified the Marine spirit in every fiber of his being.

Fellow Marines remember him less for medals and more for presence—the kind that holds the line when everything screams to fall back. Historian Allan R. Millett documents Daly’s unyielding will in The Marines at Belleau Wood, where Daly’s grit becomes the backbone of Marine courage in WWI^[1].

Lessons Etched in Blood and Valor

Sgt. Maj. Daly’s story isn’t just battlefield heroics; it’s about relentless duty beyond medals. It’s sacrifice when no one watches. Leaders aren’t born; they are forged in fire, carrying scars visible and invisible.

His life shouts the truth: courage isn’t absence of fear—it’s moving forward because of it. A man’s faith and honor are tested most when hell’s breath is on your neck.

“I have not fought for fame—not even for honor. I have fought for my comrades, for what was right, and for God’s grace to carry me through the storm.”

Daniel Joseph Daly’s legacy demands more than respect. It demands remembrance — of what it means to stand firm in impossibility. His story is a beacon for every battle-hardened veteran, every soldier wrestling with scars unseen.

War carves a cruel legacy, but men like Daly turn it toward redemption—bearing witness that valor, faith, and sacrifice endure when all else fades.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” – Joshua 1:9

Sources

1. Naval History and Heritage Command – The Marines at Belleau Wood: The Story of Murder and Valor 2. Military Times Hall of Valor – Medal of Honor citations for Daniel J. Daly 3. Allan R. Millett, Semper Fidelis: The History of the United States Marine Corps