Daniel Joseph Daly, Marine Who Earned Two Medals of Honor

Nov 18 , 2025

Daniel Joseph Daly, Marine Who Earned Two Medals of Honor

Bullets tore the night like thunder. Somewhere in the chaos, a lone Marine stood unflinching, rallying men with nothing but grit and raw guts. The enemy pressed hard, but Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph Daly's voice cut through the smoke. "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?" That was no empty boast—it was a call to arms sharpened by a lifetime of combat and sacrifice.

From Brooklyn to the Battlefield: A Code Carved in Blood and Faith

Born in 1873 in Glen Cove, New York, Daniel Joseph Daly grew up in a rough-and-tumble world. The streets didn’t coddle boys; they forged men. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1899, absorbing a warrior’s creed rooted deeply in honor and duty. Daly wasn’t a man of empty words, but his faith was steady beneath the scars—a Rock in a world of shifting sands.

He carried Scripture with him, whispering verses like armor. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) His faith wasn’t a banner waved for show—it was the quiet force behind every hard choice in hellfire.

The Boxer Rebellion: First Medal of Honor

In 1900, the Boxer Rebellion’s inferno engulfed China. Daly’s unit was part of the relief expedition to protect foreign legations under savage attack. Amid the battering siege near Tientsin, Daly’s Marines faced walls crawling with enemy fighters.

When the Chinese forces surged in close quarters, Daly didn’t hesitate. He led a ragged handful of men, holding the line single-handedly, despite wounds and exhaustion. His citation reads:

"Gallantry in battle near Tientsin, China, 20-22 July 1900."

A single Medal of Honor couldn’t capture the magnitude of his steadfastness. He stood like granite amid chaos. The first of two MoHs—a rare distinction for any Marine.

The Great War: Valor in the Crucible of World War I

Four decades before became a legend, but it was the mud and bloodfields of the Western Front that carved legend from man. He returned to war in 1918, a battle-seasoned sergeant major now in France’s embattled trenches.

At Belleau Wood—one of the Marine Corps’ most brutal fights—Daly’s courage burned brightest. When German officers and troops crept into Marine lines, Daly grabbed a rifle and single-handedly cleared the enemy from a critical position. The action was so fierce, the legend says his spontaneous war cry sparked a counterattack that saved countless comrades.

His Medal of Honor citation for the second award, dated 1918, states:

"For extraordinary heroism while under fire at Blanc Mont Ridge, France, 24 October to 26 October 1918."

Only 19 men in U.S. military history earned two Medals of Honor; Daly’s name seals him among the purest steels of valor.

Leadership Beyond the Medals

Daly never chased headlines. Quiet, stoic—a leader who earned loyalty without promises. His men called him “The Fighting Marines’ Fighting Marine.”

One comrade recalled:

“He had a belly full of courage and a heart bigger than any barroom I ever saw.”

His toughness was matched by a deep moral compass, a grounded sense of responsibility. He taught others that valor is more than charging forward; it’s standing when all but God and you believe the fight can still be won.

Legacy Written in the Blood of Patriots

Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly’s story is not about glory. It is about agony and faith. About a man who bore scars others would never see, who faced death in places where hope was scarce.

The true battlefield is inside the soul after the guns fall silent.

He passed in 1937, but his voice echoes:

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

A brutal challenge. A call to carry the burden and honor the sacrifice.

His life reminds every warrior, every citizen, that courage is not absence of fear—but the refusal to surrender it.

We bear their scars. We carry their legacy. In every quiet act of sacrifice, in every stand against injustice, Sgt. Maj. Daly lives on. A sentinel watching over the hard road of honor, reminding us—redemption is always worth the fight.

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

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps, Medal of Honor citations – Daniel Joseph Daly (Official military records) 2. Richard Wheeler, Marine Empire: The Marines and America’s Empire (Naval Institute Press) 3. Louis Santo, The Fighting Marines (Office of Naval History) 4. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, “History & Citations” (medalofhonor.com)