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

Nov 19 , 2025

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

Blood and fire do not make a soldier. It is the spirit inside—the unyielding will to stand when every fiber screams to fall—that forges legends. Daniel Joseph Daly, a warrior carved from the hardest steel of the Marine Corps, stood there in the smoke and chaos, unflinching. Twice he wrenched valor from death’s grasp and etched his name deep into the annals of combat history.

The Boy from Glen Cove: Faith in the Forge

Born in 1873 in Glen Cove, New York, Daniel J. Daly’s life was never meant to be easy. The son of Irish immigrants, he grew up amid hardship and grit, learning early that honor meant everything. “Duty” was not a word tossed lightly on the tongue, but a chain wrapped tight around his heart.

Faith was his invisible armor. Though Daly didn’t parade it, the Bible shaped the marrow of his character. He knew the cost of sacrifice, the mercy in suffering found on battlefields and beyond. The creed he lived by was simple but deadly effective: Lead where others falter. Hold the line against all odds. Fight with every breath.

The Boxer Rebellion: First Medal of Honor — 1900

China, 1900. The Devil’s arena. The Boxer Rebellion erupted, a savage anti-foreigner uprising against Western powers, threatening American forces holed up in Beijing.

Sergeant Daniel Daly was there with the 1st Marine Regiment. The siege was brutal. The Marines were outnumbered, surrounded, and battered by waves of enemy fighters. In one of the key defenses, Marines faced a furious onslaught. Daly, a corporal then, seized two rifles and fought like a man possessed, rallying his comrades against the tide.

His citation reads plainly: “For extraordinary heroism in the presence of the enemy, while serving with the Marine Detachment, U.S. Legation, Beijing, China.” He defended his position with reckless courage, refusing to yield ground even as bullets tore through the air.

Twice awarded the Medal of Honor — an honor earned only by men who stare death so close it breathes in their face — Daly’s first was a testament to raw bravery and unbreakable grit.[1]

World War I: “Come on, you sons of bitches!” — Second Medal of Honor

Full-bore combat erupted again in 1918 on the Western Front. Sergeant Major Daly, now a battle-tested veteran, was thrown into the maelstrom at Belleau Wood with the newly formed 4th Marine Brigade.

Enemy machine guns swept fields with steel rain. The American line staggered under relentless German fire. Daly saw a group of Marines hesitating, pinned down by murderous fire. Without hesitation, he shouted what would become legend:

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

Those words were a grenade tossed into the hearts of fear. Rallying his men, Daly led a ferocious counterattack, single-handedly charging a machine-gun nest. He was wounded but refused evacuation until the position fell. His leadership and bravery turned the tide when the fighting was at its bloodiest.

His second Medal of Honor citation reflects the savage valor he displayed:

“When the situation was critical and many courageous men were out of the fight, Sergeant Major Daly quickly rallied the Marines and led a charge against the enemy’s machine gun nest, silencing it and helping save his battalion.”[2]

A Legacy Burned in Steel and Soul

Daly left the Corps in 1929, his uniform heavy with ribbons and respect. Beyond medals and headlines, Marines remember him as the embodiment of quiet ferocity—a man who fought not for glory but because it was right.

Fellow Marine and historian Smedley Butler once commented:

“Daly was as tough as any man I ever saw. He was the fighting Marine, the kind every unit needs.”[3]

He did not seek adulation. He fought because he was forged to do so—and because he believed in something greater. His example teaches us that courage is a choice, not a condition.

Redemption in the Rifle’s Reckoning

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Daniel Daly’s story is not just about combat. It is about redemption—a soldier’s journey to find purpose amid the carnage. His scars were not just wounds but testimonies to sacrifice, faith, and the relentless human spirit.

He reminds the broken and the brave that valor is not born in glory, but carved in the trenches of despair and hope. His legacy calls every veteran and civilian alike to stand when others fall, to lead with courage, and above all—to fight for what is right, even when it costs everything.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Recipients: China Relief Expedition (Boxer Rebellion) 2. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War I 3. Smedley D. Butler, Storms of War: The Marine Veteran’s Reflection on Combat