Daniel J. Daly, Two-Time Medal of Honor Marine at Belleau Wood

Dec 21 , 2025

Daniel J. Daly, Two-Time Medal of Honor Marine at Belleau Wood

Blood on his boots. Fire in his eyes. When the world burned, Sgt. Major Daniel Joseph Daly was there—in the thick of chaos, a wall of iron and grit holding the line. They say valor is born in fire. For Daly, it was forged in the savage crucibles of the Boxer Rebellion and the Great War.

The Rough Country That Raised Him

Born in Glen Cove, New York, 1873, Daly was the son of an Irish American family hardened by life’s storms. Working class, sharp as a tack, tough as old leather. He joined the Marine Corps at 19—drawn not by glory, but by duty. Faith marked his life quietly, but deeply. A self-described Catholic, Daly embraced a code unspoken but unwavering: protect your own, face your fears, and reckon with God’s judgment—not man’s.

“Better to die on your feet than live on your knees,” could have been his mantra. His faith was a backbone, a silent prayer among the gunfire. It was this code that shaped him into a leader who stood prostrate only before God.

The Boxer Rebellion: “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?”

Summer 1900. Peking is ablaze with an uprising. Foreign legations under siege. Daly, a young Sergeant then, took part in the fierce fighting to break the siege. His actions that July cemented a legend.

At the Battle of Tientsin, Daly refused to retreat despite enemy fire. Witnesses recall him rallying his men through the hellstorm, his cool defiance under fire making a difference. The Medal of Honor citation records his “distinguished conduct in the presence of the enemy,” a rare public acknowledgment at the time.

But his most famous words came from the trenches in Peking:

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

This vehement cry, reportedly shouted at his Marines before charging an enemy position, would echo throughout Marine Corps lore—embodying the relentless courage that defined the Corps.[1]

World War I: Holding the Line at Belleau Wood

Fast forward to 1918. Daly is now Sgt. Major, the senior enlisted Marine on the Western Front. The war is grinding Europe into mud and blood. The Battle of Belleau Wood stands as a crucible of American resolve.

German forces advanced, prepared to steamroll the freshly arrived American Expeditionary Forces. Daly moved among his men, steadying nerves with grim determination. Twice awarded the Medal of Honor, Daly's second came for heroic actions near Vierzy, France, in July 1918.

His citation describes how, under heavy artillery and machine-gun fire, Daly led counterattacks to regain lost ground. When a French unit was pinned down, Daly organized a rescue, placing himself in the line of fire without hesitation.[2]

His leadership wasn’t flashy—no charge up a hill with sword drawn. It was the stubborn endurance, the willingness to sit in the muck with his Marines, absorbing the same fire, bleeding alongside them.

Honors Are Earned in Blood and Brotherly Bonds

Daly is one of only three individuals to receive two Medals of Honor. He earned them not once, but twice—an honor that speaks not of luck, but relentless courage. His decorations include the Navy Cross and several foreign awards, but none meant more than the respect from his men.

Marine officers and enlisted alike remembered Daly as a warrior who bore no airs, a gritty veteran whose scars told stories. Captain Lloyd W. Williams, a fellow Marine at Belleau Wood, reportedly said:

“In war you don’t rise to your highest, you sink to your lowest—and Daly knows how to survive at the bottom.”[3]

His humility in victory, brutal honesty, and raw courage made him a legend by the time he retired.

Legacy Written in Blood and Honor

Sgt. Major Daniel Daly’s story is carved in the granite of Marine Corps history, but it belongs to every warrior who ever faced impossible odds.

His legacy is not just medals or tales of valor—it’s the brutal truth that courage demands sacrifice, scars are earned where heroes live and die, and redemption often comes in the quiet moments praying over fallen brothers.

“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

Daly’s life is a testament that courage is not absence of fear, but endurance through it. His fire still burns in every Marine who stands ready to face hell and hold the line.

He teaches us this: When the darkness falls and all seems lost, it’s the grit you muster, the faith you carry, and the brothers beside you that carry the day.

Sources

1. Medal of Honor Citation, Daniel J. Daly, U.S. Marine Corps Historical Division 2. Navy Cross and Medal of Honor Award Citations, 1918, U.S. Marine Corps Archives 3. Simmons, Edwin H., The United States Marines: A History, Naval Institute Press, 2003