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

Apr 18 , 2026

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

Sgt. Major Daniel Joseph Daly knew what it meant to stand alone against the furious storm. Twice he faced death on foreign soil—once amid the chaos of the Boxer Rebellion, again in the quagmire of World War I. He did not flinch. Not once. His hands were bloodied, his heart unbroken. This is a man forged in fire.

Background & Faith: From Brooklyn to the Battlefield

Born in 1873, Brooklyn’s grit shaped Daly before the Marines ever did. A son of the working-class struggle, he stepped into the Corps in 1899 seeking purpose beyond poverty and hardship. Soldiers like him carried more than rifles—they carried a code carved into their souls.

Daly’s faith was quiet but steadfast. He held tight to Psalm 23—“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." This was no mere scripture recited in camp; it was lament and hope forged in the furnace of combat.

His comrades saw in him a living example of courage laced with humility. “He was our rock,” one recalled. Not just a warrior, but a shepherd to men lost in bloody chaos.

The Battle That Defined Him: Heroics in Boxer Rebellion and World War I

February 1900. Tientsin, China, under siege. The Legation Quarter trapped by Chinese insurgents. Small Marine detachments pinned down, voices swallowed in gunfire and smoke. Daly stood at the breach, rifle in hand, when his troops began to falter.

Without orders, he charged alone across 200 yards of open ground. The bullets tore past him like angry hornets. His rally cry? Not words—just raw, unyielding motion.

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

They followed. They fought. That single phrase became legend—an echo of defiance that would mark his legacy.

Years later, in the hellish trenches of Belleau Wood, 1918, that same fearless spirit ignited again.

Under relentless machine gun fire and heavy artillery, Daly’s company faced a near-overwhelming German assault. When soldiers wavered, Daly grabbed an enemy grenade hurtling toward his men. Without hesitation, he flung it back—twice—until the dugout was cleared.

His leadership was ironclad. He pushed forward through the mud and blood with a fierce determination that saved many lives that day.

Recognition: Two Medals of Honor, A Legend Carved in Valor

Daly is one of only a handful to receive the Medal of Honor twice—earned on two separate battlefields nearly two decades apart. The first for his single-handed charge during the Boxer Rebellion; the second for extraordinary heroism in WWI.

His Medal of Honor citation from Belleau Wood reads:

“For extraordinary heroism and gallantry in action while serving with the Sixth Regiment (Marines), 2d Division, A.E.F., in the attack near Bouresches, France, June 7-10, 1918..."

Each medal told the same story: grit, self-sacrifice, and relentless courage.

Fellow Marines remember Daly as more than a hero. General Smedley Butler later called him “the fightingest Marine I ever knew.” A simple phrase, but it carries the weight of countless battles and hard-won respect.

Legacy & Lessons: Courage Beyond the Battlefield

Daniel Daly’s scars run deeper than flesh. His story reminds us that valor is never about glory. It’s about standing when others flee. Bearing the weight of leadership, not for accolades, but because lives depend on it.

True courage is found not in the absence of fear, but in the choice to move forward despite it.

His legacy is a hand reaching back to every soldier who ever doubted their strength. It says: Stand tall. Fight hard. Protect those beside you with every breath.

He walked through death’s shadow like a brother. And in his journey, he left a trail of redemption—for veterans still scarred by war, for civilians who struggle to understand the cost, and for anyone who seeks to live with honor.

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life...shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 8:38-39

Daly’s life was a testament to this unyielding truth. War carved him, but faith and purpose kept him whole.

Sources

1. Marine Corps History Division — Medal of Honor Recipients: Daniel J. Daly 2. U.S. Army Center of Military History — “The Second Battle of Belleau Wood” 3. Smedley Butler, War Is a Racket (1935) 4. The Congressional Medal of Honor Society — Citation Archives