Daniel J. Daly, Two-Time Medal of Honor Marine Hero

Dec 30 , 2025

Daniel J. Daly, Two-Time Medal of Honor Marine Hero

Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly Jr. stood knee-deep in mud, enemy bullets thudding like thunder around him, yet his voice cut clear through the chaos. "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?" The words weren't bravado—they were a challenge, a lifeline hurled across a dying world. In that instant, he embodied raw grit, a warrior forged in fire and shadow.

Roots of a Fighter and a Faithful Man

Born in Glen Cove, New York, in 1873, Daly came from humble beginnings. His early years shaped an iron will and tight code. He wasn't just a soldier; he was a man grounded in something deeper. Faith was his backbone in the darkest hours. “The righteous man is fulfilled with strength,” his life seemed to echo Proverbs 10:29.

He joined the Marines young, driven not by glory but by duty. Every scar told a story—not of reckless violence, but of protection, of leading from the front. His enemies underestimated a quiet confidence—Daly held with purpose, bearing the burden that others might scatter from.

The Battle That Defined Him Twice Over

He first earned the Medal of Honor during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900. By then an experienced Corporal, Daly stood with fellow Marines defending the beleaguered legation quarter in Peking. Facing relentless Chinese forces, he showed indomitable spirit, rallying men under withering attack. Records confirm he recovered wounded comrades amid deadly fire, overrun grounds soaked in blood and grit.[^1]

But war’s cruel hand didn’t stop there.

Fast forward nearly two decades. World War I scarred a new generation of warriors, but Daly was still there. Now a Gunnery Sergeant with the 5th Marine Regiment, over the bloody trenches of Belleau Wood in June 1918, he once again earned the Medal of Honor—the only Marine to receive two for combat valor.

Facing a tide of German assault, Daly led a flank attack with brutal determination. When his rifle jammed, he used the butt as a club, fighting man-to-man through waves of enemy soldiers. His leadership didn’t just inspire; it stopped collapse and saved countless lives.[^2]

Valor Recorded in Bronze and Words

Two Medals of Honor. A rare few have walked that path.

His first citation reads like a testament: “In action against the enemy... he distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism.” His second, equally fierce: “For extraordinary heroism while serving with the 6th Regiment (Marines)... in attack on the Bois de Belleau... while repelling an enemy counterattack.”[^3]

Comrades described him as “the very embodiment of courage” and “a leader who never left a man behind.” Legend, yes—but grounded in steel reality.

Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler, himself a two-time Medal of Honor recipient, praised Daly: “Daniel Daly is the finest Marine I have ever known.” That says something—coming from a man who walked through fire alone.[^4]

Legacy Etched Into the Marine Corps and Beyond

Daly’s story is not a tale of unchecked violence but of purposeful sacrifice. He carried the wounds and memories of battle as badges of honor, reminders that freedom exacts a price.

His life reminds warriors and civilians alike: courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the choice to stand when everything screams to flee. Leadership means shoulder-to-shoulder action, never commanding from a distance but fighting beside the fiercest storm.

His final days reflect a man who bore scars both physical and spiritual. Yet he never lost the fierce human heart beating beneath the uniform.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers... against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” — Ephesians 6:12

Daly understood the battlefield was more than earth and fire—it was a test of soul.

Sgt. Maj. Daniel J. Daly reminds us no courage comes free. He fought with everything he had, not for medals, but for the brother beside him and the land they swore to protect. Every warrior’s legacy is a candle lit against the darkness. His burned bright, not just for his time, but for all who hear his charge.

“Do you want to live forever?” Daly’s challenge was never empty words. It was a summons to face fear and live with honor—scarred, yes, but unbroken.

[^1]: U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Citation: Boxer Rebellion - Sgt. Maj. Daniel J. Daly [^2]: U.S. Marine Corps Archives, Belleau Wood Action Reports, 1918 [^3]: Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Daniel J. Daly - Dual Recipient Citation Records [^4]: John S. D. Eisenhower, Smedley Butler: The Fighting Marine (Naval Institute Press, 2002)