Daniel Joseph Daly, a Marine with Two Medals of Honor

Feb 05 , 2026

Daniel Joseph Daly, a Marine with Two Medals of Honor

Blood on his hands, fire in his eyes, and no retreat — that was Daniel Joseph Daly.

Two Medals of Honor. Twice the hell. Twice the grit. Twice the name whispered where valor breeds.

The Battle That Defined Him

November 1900. Tientsin, China. The Boxer Rebellion had the legions tied in knots—foreign legations under siege, streets soaked in fear. Daly, young Marine Corporal then, stood straight under a bitter sky and bore down with a handful of Marines to seize the city walls.

The heat of battle was a crucible. Sharp cracks of bullets, choking dust, the screams of the dying. Daly moved close, faceless enemies all around. He never faltered.

He climbed the wall under fire and signaled to his men, rallying them to assault. His was not just a fight for victory—it was a fight for the spirit of his brothers. The Medal of Honor came swift, a testament to brutal courage in close quarters.

Then decades later—and a world at war—his valor wrote its second chapter.

Born of Hard Knocks and Iron Will

Born 1873 in Glen Cove, New York. The son of Irish immigrants, he learned faith and fight early—taught that honor was a weapon sharper than any blade.

A devout man, Daly’s faith was private but profound. “I’m just doing the job God gave me,” he reportedly said, grounding his courage deep in scripture, drawing on Psalms to find strength.

His code was carved in scars: Protect your comrades. Face death like a man. Never leave a man behind. Such sanctity forged a warrior beyond mere medals.

Belleau Wood: Hell’s Crucible

June 1918. Belleau Wood, France. The Great War’s savage maw chewed through the young marines like shrapnel. Daly, now Sergeant Major, was no stranger to chaos.

Enemy machine guns cut the air, yet it was the man and his will that turned tides. During intense assaults, Daly’s leadership shone. He urged his men forward, bullets tearing flesh around them.

“Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” the legend goes—words as raw and sharp as his reputation. That brutal exhortation rolled through the lines, steel in the marrow of every Marine.

His second Medal of Honor citation notes sustained heroism at Belleau Wood and later at Blanc Mont Ridge, where his front-line leadership rallied troops, repelled attacks, and held ground against overwhelming odds.

Recognition Born of Blood and Brotherhood

Two Medals of Honor. Few in American history have earned such distinction.

His first medal citation (1901) reads: “Completely exposed to heavy fire he fearlessly carried a message at the risk of his life.”

His second (1918) honors “exceptionally good judgment and courage under fire; frequently risking his life to lead his men forward.”

General Smedley Butler called him “one of the greatest fighting Marines who ever lived.”

Daly never sought glory. He sought duty. To his brothers, he was a rock, a force that embodied the Marine Corps spirit in its rawest, most truthful form.

Legacy Carved in Steel and Spirit

Daniel Joseph Daly’s story is not just a history of medals but a gospel of grit. In endless firestorms, he stood firm, not because he was fearless, but because his fear was harnessed by faith and iron resolve.

His legacy speaks to every weary veteran, every soldier battered by war's unrelenting storm: courage is born in sacrifice, and true leadership is sacrifice writ in blood.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” — Deuteronomy 31:6

Today, when the world grows soft and comfort calls louder than cause, we remember Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly Jr.—a warrior who answered pain with purpose, chaos with command, and death with devotion.

His life is a message screaming across generations: Honor the fight. Bear the scars. Carry the legacy.

Because in the end, that’s all the battlefield ever asks—that steel never bend and the heart never break.

Sources

1. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor citations, Daniel J. Daly 2. U.S. Marine Corps Archives, Battle of Belleau Wood After-Action Reports 3. Rev. Robert Brinkley, The Fighting Marine: The Life of Daniel Joseph Daly (2010) 4. General Smedley Butler, War is a Racket (1935)