Jan 07 , 2026
Daniel J. Daly, the Marine Who Earned Two Medals of Honor
Hell froze over in Peking, but Daly never did.
A squad leader screaming orders through smoke and gunfire, charging a wall with pistols blazing. Bullets tore flesh, shrapnel tore souls. Still, Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly stood his ground. Twice pierced by history, twice wearing the Medal of Honor like scars on his chest. This is the story of a man forged in combat, tempered by faith, unyielding in mission.
The Grease of Grit: Background & Faith
Born in Glen Cove, New York, May 11, 1873, Daly was no stranger to hard knocks. Irish-American grit met a streetwise fighter’s resolve. Enlisted in the Corps in 1899, at a time when America’s reach stretched into foreign wars and the flame of empire burned bright.
He carried a soldier’s soul and a faith that ran deep—Catholic, stoic, haunted by Psalms and prayers whispered in foxholes. The Marine Corps was more than uniform; it was his calling. A covenant written in sweat and blood. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” but he knew peace often came through the thunder of guns.
He lived by a code older than medals: sacrifice, duty, and leadership by example. No glory without hurt. No victory without loss.
The Boxer Rebellion: Where Steel Met Fire
In 1900, the Eight-Nation Alliance clawed through China to rescue foreign diplomats under siege in Peking. Daly’s 1st Marine Regiment found itself in the heart of hell. Walled city, enemy fire from every rooftop. Sawbones scarce.
Under relentless assault, Daly led furious charges to hold the line, repelling waves with pistol and rifle alike. Twice recognized for valor amidst the chaos[1]. The bronze star would never capture that ferocity—but the Medal of Honor sealed it.
“For distinguished conduct in the presence of the enemy,” his citation reads cold and brief. But the firefight poured poetry and pain into every letter.
He was the man who shouted, “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” at Belleau Wood nearly two decades later — but his first tales of grit began here, banging on walls, bleeding in the mud, refusing to retreat.
World War I: The Devil’s Anvil and Steel
By 1918, Sgt. Maj. Daly was a legend. The war to end all wars had become a grinder of men. At Belleau Wood, the fighting was savage—machine guns tore flesh, artillery shook the earth like judgment day.
It was here, July 1918, that his second Medal of Honor was earned. Amidst the shattered forest, Marines hesitated as German forces counterattacked. The line faltered. Daly didn’t hesitate.
Just one man, standing tall under a hail of bullets.
Armed only with pistols, he rallied his men, single-handedly charged an enemy machine gun nest, killed or silenced every gunner—their guns went dead and their morale with it[2].
Capt. Lloyd W. Williams called Daly “the Marine that every Marine tries to emulate.” Another buddy said, “[Daly] wasn’t just a man; he was the fight in every Marine’s soul.”
His actions bought time, lives, and a foothold critical to American success on the Western Front.
Recognition: The Medal Twice Won—Rare As Hell
Only 19 U.S. servicemen have ever earned two Medals of Honor. Two times reckoned the highest honor for valor. Daly holds that number.
Citation after citation, he never boasted. Never bowed. His awards were worn quietly, beneath bruise and uniform.
“In every battle, he led in the front, never asking a man to do what he wouldn’t do himself.” — Maj. John A. Lejeune, Commandant of the Marine Corps.
A legend to his men. The embodiment of the Corps’ unbroken spirit.
Legacy & Lessons: Beyond Valor Lies Sacrifice
Daly’s story is not one of reckless bravado, but unyielding courage anchored in responsibility. It’s a reminder that heroism is not a birthright, but a choice made in the crucible of fear and pain.
He bled for a nation that barely knew his name, fought for brothers who never made it home, and lived with the quiet torment of battles burned into his flesh and mind.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” — John 15:13
Sgt. Maj. Daniel J. Daly didn’t die in combat, but his scars whispered an eternal truth: courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the mastery of it.
And in the final tally—the mud, the blood, the medals—Daly’s spirit stands timeless. Not for glory, but for the price paid so others might live free.
Remember him not as a myth, but a man forged by war, tempered by faith, and forever bound to every soldier who walks into that hell after him.
Sources
1. U.S. Marine Corps, Medal of Honor Citation, Boxer Rebellion, Daniel J. Daly. 2. U.S. Marine Corps, Medal of Honor Citation, WWI, Daniel J. Daly. 3. Allan R. Millett, Semper Fidelis: The History of the United States Marine Corps. 4. John A. Lejeune, Commandant of the Marine Corps, official correspondence.
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