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

Jan 08 , 2026

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

Gunfire ripped through the humid night like judgment from above. Men dropped, not just in numbers but in spirit. But Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly—he stood tall, rifle in hand, a beacon amid chaos. The Boxer Rebellion’s siege of Tientsin boiled over, and Daly waded into the storm without hesitation. Two Medals of Honor later, his scars were never just flesh— they were a testament. Not to glory, but to the raw price of holding the line when hope starts to fray.

Beginnings in Newark: The Forge of a Warrior

Born in 1873, Daniel Daly grew up in Newark, New Jersey—a tough city bleeding blue-collar grit. His upbringing wasn’t cushioned. It was a baptism by trial. He enlisted early, joining the United States Marine Corps in 1899 at 26. His faith, quiet but unwavering, shaped the man they made him.

Daly’s deeply held belief in duty and sacrifice came from a simple, unpretentious code—do your job, protect your brothers, never flinch. An old, steady sense of right shaped his actions more than ambition. Redemption, for him, was in the crucible of combat itself.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” – Matthew 5:9

Tientsin, 1900: The Fight That Forged a Legend

The Boxer Rebellion was brutal. The foreign legations under siege in Tientsin faced waves of fanatic, desperate attackers. Daly’s Marines stood in the breach. Here, his first Medal of Honor born from a night etched with blood and dirt.

Under relentless Chinese assaults, Daly reportedly shouted above the din, rallying his squad. When the attackers overwhelmed weaker lines, he rushed forward, hand-grenade in one hand, rifle in the other, driving back the tide alone more than once. Corpsmen saw him pull fallen comrades back from the edge.

“In the presence of my comrades and before our enemies, I will not falter.” – Sgt. Maj. Daniel Daly (as recalled by his unit)

The citation for his first Medal of Honor notes his “distinguished conduct in the line of his profession and extraordinary heroism.” No trigger pulled lightly. Every moment measured in lives saved. His valor wasn’t about pride—it was survival, pure and simple.

The Great War: A World Undefeated Even By Death

By 1918, Daly was a hardened veteran in the trenches of France. The horrors of World War I tested every soldier’s soul. At the Battle of Belleau Wood—legend forged by blood—Daly’s courage burned fiercely.

A famous Marine lore story tells of Daly singlehandedly stopping a German advance with nothing but his trusty rifle and dogged will. When the enemy pressed, Daly reportedly yelled at retreating Marines:

“Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?”

The phrase echoes through Marine Corps history as raw truth—courage is a choice, even when death waits. His second Medal of Honor, awarded for “extraordinary heroism” during Belleau Wood and both engagements at Blanc Mont Ridge, stands among the rarest and most coveted in the Corps.

In the mud, Daly led as he fought—standing between his men and death, inspiring them to stand firm. His discipline was merciless, but his loyalty was absolute.

Honors Etched in Brass and Blood

Two Medals of Honor. It’s a feat only 19 individuals in American history share. Daly earned his first during a foreign war trying to hold our standards in a brutal new world. The second from blood-soaked fields where entire armies died trying to shift the fate of nations.

His legacy echoed not in speeches but in quiet respect from men who survived because he refused to give ground. General Smedley Butler, himself a two-time Medallist, called Daly “the fightingest Marine I ever knew.”

“He took care of his Marines. That’s what made him legendary.” – General Smedley Butler

Daly never sought the spotlight. He fought for the man beside him. For the sacred trust that when bullets come, the line must hold.

The Enduring Lesson: Valor is Redemption

Daly’s story is not one of youthful bravado, but gritty, relentless sacrifice. His faith and discipline gave him strength to carry the burden others could not. He did not flirt with glory—he wrestled with death and wrestled hard.

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” – Philippians 1:21

Sgt. Maj. Daniel Daly’s scars—seen and unseen—speak louder than medals. They tell us that courage means standing in the worst hell imaginable, choosing to protect the fallen and fighting for something greater than self.

In a world that rushes past the cost of war, his legacy demands we remember: courage isn’t myth, it’s duty. It’s the raw price of survival and redemption. And it is carried forward by every veteran who still bears the weight of that fight.

# Sources 1. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Recipients - Daniel J. Daly 2. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, Famous Marine Corps Quotes & Legends 3. James M. Flammang, Medal of Honor: A History of Service Above and Beyond 4. Smedley D. Butler, War is a Racket (for quote attribution)