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

Dec 26 , 2025

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

Explosions roared around the embattled hill as bullets tore through the smoky air. Amidst the chaos, a lone figure refused to falter—charging forward, rallying the shattered lines with a grit carved from steel and sacrifice. This was Daniel Joseph Daly: a warrior whose courage would be etched twice into Marine Corps legend.

The Forge of a Fighter

Born in 1873 in Glenmore, New York, Daly entered a world rougher than most. The streets and factories honed a hard-nosed resolve. When he enlisted in the Marines in 1899, he carried with him more than muscle — a heart steeled by faith and an unyielding code forged from service and sacrifice.

Faith shone quietly in the man’s soul. He was a Catholic whose belief anchored him through the horrors he would face. He carried more than a rifle; he carried a purpose that transcended the battlefield. His creed was not just duty, but redemption through action, a living scripture of courage in the face of death.

The Boxer Rebellion: Blood on the Walls of Tientsin

In 1900, Daly stood within the maelstrom of the Boxer Rebellion in China. The siege of Tientsin was hell incarnate: the air thick with acrid smoke and the screams of the wounded. A machine gun nest pinned down the Marines. The unit cowered under relentless fire.

Daly stepped forward. Alone, he charged the enemy position. His men watched, frozen — then rallied behind the fearless corporal wielding a rifle and a grin that dared death. He took the bunker, silencing the guns that threatened his brothers.

For that—he earned his first Medal of Honor. The citation credited “distinguished conduct in the presence of the enemy” and a fearless assault that turned the tide[¹]. His acts defied calculation, driven by sheer will to protect his unit at any cost.

The Great War: A Second Medal of Honor

Fourteen years later, the world was engulfed once more—this time in the trenches of WWI. Sargent Major Daly, now a seasoned warrior, faced the nightmare of Belleau Wood in June 1918. Here, the fighting matched the hell of Tientsin but deepened in savage complexity.

In the bloodied hellscape of Belleau Wood, Daly’s leadership pierced through chaos. At a crucial moment, with his men battered and morale crumbling, he bellowed across the lines:

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

The words echoed as a clarion call. Marines surged forward, turning defense into brutal offense. His courage was a spark that ignited a firestorm.

Again, Daly earned the Medal of Honor. This time, it praised his “extraordinary heroism in combat,” exposing himself to heavy fire while rallying his men to press the attack[²]. Belleau Wood became a crucible where his legend was forever reforged.

Recognition Beyond Medals

Daly’s double Medal of Honor is a singular distinction—one of only nineteen in U.S. history—and a testament to relentless valor over decades.[³] Yet medals tell only fragments. Fellow Marines remembered a man who embodied Marine Corps ethos: fierce, fearless, human.

General John A. Lejeune, Commandant of the Marine Corps, called Daly “a Marine’s Marine, a warrior without peer.” Comrades described him as “unbreakable” and “the heart of every fight.”

Yet Daly remained humble. In a letter home, he wrote:

“I fight not for glory, but for the men beside me. Their courage is my armor.”

Legacy: The Warrior’s Redemption

Daly’s story is not one of glamor but grit. Two humble Medals of Honor, earned amid fire and blood, mark a life spent standing between chaos and order.

His courage says this: true valor is not absence of fear, but defiance of it. It's rooted in faith, forged by sacrifice, and lived in moments too raw for page or film.

“Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” — Revelation 2:10

Sgt. Major Daniel J. Daly gave more than muscle on battlefields far from home. He gave a visible measure of sacrifice, a reminder that the blood spilled on ancient soil still waters the roots of freedom today.

For veterans, his legacy whispers in the silence between shots. For civilians, it demands sober remembrance. Each scar borne by veterans tells a story of cost and courage. Every man like Daly is a testament—the living scripture of sacrifice, written in blood and resolve.

Sources

1. Naval History and Heritage Command, Medal of Honor Citation: Sgt. Daniel J. Daly 2. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Belleau Wood Medal of Honor Citations 3. Edward H. Sims, American Medal of Honor Recipients, 1863–1994 (U.S. Government Printing Office)