Daniel Joseph Daly, Marine Who Won Two Medals of Honor

Nov 13 , 2025

Daniel Joseph Daly, Marine Who Won Two Medals of Honor

A Lone Man on the Wall, Standing Between Chaos and Death

The night closed in like a shroud over Peking, 1900. Amid gunfire and screams, a lone Marine—Daniel Joseph Daly—stood unflinching atop the wall defending the legation quarter. Grenades lobbed and bullets tore past him like angry hornets. When the enemy surged with knives, Daly grabbed a rifle from a fallen comrade. He leveled it with cold eyes. Then, he did the impossible.

"Come on, you sons of bitches, you’re never going to take the city!” he roared, firing three shots that broke the enemy charge. No hesitation. No looking back. Just raw, unyielding courage—fear turned into fury.

From Brooklyn Streets to Marine Corps Grit

Born in New York City, 1873, Daly grew up in tough streets that bred toughness, but not bitterness. His frame may have been lean, but his soul forged in conviction. Raised a Catholic, he carried faith as armor, a whispered armor against the relentless chaos he’d face.

His motto was simple: protect the weak, fight the unjust. “The deadliest weapon in the world is a Marine and his rifle,” he’d say, not just as bravado but as a sacred trust.

The Corps gave him purpose beyond self. It was a brotherhood carved in blood. His personal code was raw and direct—hold the line, no compromise, fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.

“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

Two Medals of Honor, Two Legends Forged in Fire

First Medal came at the Boxer Rebellion (1900). Daly’s battalion was under siege, trapped behind the walls of Peking. Overrun and outgunned, the Marines faced waves of hostile insurgents. When a breach threatened, Daly surged forward with 250 troops, guns blazing, retaking lost ground. His Medal of Honor citation calls it “distinguished conduct in the presence of the enemy.” Merely words, pale against the night-etched memory of desperation and grit.

His second Medal came during the First World War, November 1918, in the trenches of Belleau Wood, France—a crucible that burned away all doubt. The Germans launched a brutal counterattack, driving into the American lines to break the Marine assault. Daly, now a Sergeant Major, took command of a machine gun section under tremendous fire. When his men faltered, he grabbed a rifle and charged the enemy, firing from the hip and yelling, “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” His fearless leadership held the lines, turning the tide.

"For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty." — Medal of Honor citation, WWI

His men trusted him like blood brothers. One recalled Daly’s approach: “He fought not just with weapons, but with the raw spirit of a warrior who carried every one of us in his heart.”

The Man Behind the Medal: Leadership Etched in Scars

Daly wore no airs. Soldiers noticed the scars—faded, but real—as badges of survival, not vanity. His courage wasn’t cocky; it was accountability in flesh and bone. He never sent a man where he wouldn’t go himself.

Promotion followed years of relentless service. Sgt. Maj. Daniel Daly became a legend in the ranks, a living link from the barracks to the battlefield. Yet, no glory halted his mission: prepare Marine after Marine to bear the burden of battle.

His combat was brutal, but his grace was quiet, revealed in the way he steadied younger troops in the darkness of artillery barrages. In him, they saw unbreakable resolve born not of bravado but of relentless faith and grit.

Legacy in Blood and Scripture, A Lesson in Courage

Daly died in 1937, but his spirit burns on. The only Marine to earn two Medals of Honor for valor in two wars, he embodies enduring sacrifice, the raw cost of defending a nation and its ideals.

His famous challenge to enemies echoes through generations: a demand to confront fear with courage, fury with purpose.

“The greatness of a man lies not in his weapons, but in his heart.” — Sgt. Maj. Daniel J. Daly (attributed)

For veterans, Daly’s life is a beacon: scars tell stories—not just of pain, but of purpose beyond the gunfire. For civilians, a sacred call to remember what freedom costs and the faces behind medals and headlines.

He fought fierce battles—and left us a prayer for strength when the night feels endless.

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” — 2 Timothy 4:7

Daniel Joseph Daly did not just keep the faith—he made it a battlefield creed. We salute him not just for medals but for the enduring spirit he poured into every breath and every sacrifice. When the fight comes, you’ll find his ghost in every stand made, every line held, every brother saved. That is legacy carved in gunpowder and grace.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, “Sgt. Maj. Daniel J. Daly: The Only Two-Time Medal of Honor Recipient” 2. Smithsonian Institution, “The Battle of Belleau Wood” 3. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Citations 4. HarperCollins, “Valor and Sacrifice: Stories of American Combat Heroes”