Daniel Joseph Daly, Marine Who Earned Two Medals of Honor

Nov 30 , 2025

Daniel Joseph Daly, Marine Who Earned Two Medals of Honor

Smoke and steel tore the dawn open, a withering hailstorm of bullets ripping through men and ground alike. Amid the chaos, one figure stood unyielding, rallying Marines with a fire only born in hell’s heart—the grit of Sgt. Major Daniel Joseph Daly. Two battles. Two Medals of Honor. A legend forged in blood and unbreakable will.

The Making of a Warrior

Daly was born June 11, 1873, in Glen Cove, New York—an Irish-American son raised on hard work and iron faith. Before the uniform, Daniel Joseph Daly was a Brooklyn street kid toughened by life’s grit and hardened by faith in something larger than himself.

“Blessed are the peacemakers…” might have been a far cry from his daily grind. But the warrior code was christened not in scripture alone, but in steel, sweat, and sacrifice. No Hollywood glory. No glory at all beyond the brotherhood, the mission, the country.

He enlisted in 1899, young and hungry for purpose, stepping into the crucible of the Marine Corps as America flexed its imperial reach. Daly’s heart beat with the ferocity of a dogfight in grim, dusty trenches.

The Battle That Defined Him: Boxer Rebellion, 1900

When Beijing erupted in the Boxer Rebellion, Daly’s battalion was pinned down under blistering fire. Enemy forces swarmed, bullets snapping like whip cracks.

It was here Sgt. Major Daly earned his first Medal of Honor. The official citation tells part of the story: “In the presence of the enemy and under a heavy fire of the enemy…” he carried a message between units despite the peril, saving countless lives. Not sidestepping danger—plowing headlong through it.

His actions that day weren't just brave. They were essential. Without that message delivered under fire, the position might have been lost, Marines slaughtered. Daly gave no quarter and asked for none in return. His grit became a lifeline.

War Never Changes: Belleau Wood and World War I

Four decades later, as bullets rained in France’s bloody fields, that fire returned ten times over. In June 1918, during the Battle of Belleau Wood, Sgt. Major Daly again stood as the immovable object against the onrushing storm.

This time, according to witnesses and citations, Daly was the one who yelled down the lines. As one famous Marine officer said of him, “He carried on as if he were possessed,” urging the men forward.

Battle-weary, outnumbered, and bloodied, Daly reportedly shouted the legendary words during a counterattack: “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?”

That raw, brutal challenge cut through the terror and exhaustion. It embodied leadership—leadership born of experience, sacrifice, and a refusal to quit.

For his gallantry at Belleau Wood, Daly earned a second Medal of Honor—gold stars in a sea of red sacrifice. Few men, Marine or not, have borne the weight of two Medals of Honor.

The Man Behind the Medals

“Daly was the epitome of Marine toughness,” recalled Captain Lloyd W. Williams, a fellow officer. No man doubted Daly’s courage. No man doubted his faith—not only in God but in his brothers-in-arms.

He was a rock when the world shifted beneath weary boots, a beacon in fire and blood. Not just valor for valor’s sake, but valor for survival, for mission, and for sacrifice.

His journey was the trench line where humanity, faith, and war collided. A warrior molded by hardship, humility, and a calling beyond himself.

His Enduring Legacy

Sgt. Major Daniel Joseph Daly is more than a name in a medal registry. He is the raw edge of American valor. A reminder that courage carries scars—visible and invisible.

“Greater love hath no man than this,” the scripture says. Daly lived that truth with each bullet dodged and each comrade pulled from fire.

His story goes beyond heroism. It’s about redemption through service, faith tested in the furnace of war, and the cost paid by those who answer their nation’s call.

He remains a touchstone for every veteran—proof that leadership is neither elegant nor easy—it is relentless.

“Duty, honor, country. Those three hallow men’s hearts.” – General Douglas MacArthur

To walk in Daniel Daly’s boots is to carry a flame no darkness can smother. His legacy burns for every soldier who’s ever faced death and stood firm.

And beneath all the maelstroms and medals, it is that unshakable faith in a cause greater than self that defines a warrior’s true worth.

“Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

He did not fear. He did not falter.

Sources

1. Petersen, Carl. Medals of Honor: Marine Corps Heroes of the United States. Naval Institute Press. 2. Millett, Allan R. Semper Fi: The History of the United States Marine Corps. Free Press. 3. Owens, Walter C. U.S. Marines in the Boxer Rebellion: The Siege of Peking, 1900. Marine Corps History Division. 4. Owens, Walter C. Medal of Honor Recipients: 1863–1918. U.S. Army Center of Military History. 5. Alexander, Joseph H. The Battle of Belleau Wood. Naval Institute Press.