How Daniel J. Daly Earned Two Medals of Honor as a Marine

Nov 30 , 2025

How Daniel J. Daly Earned Two Medals of Honor as a Marine

A man standing alone, bullets ripping the air, trenches choking with smoke and sweat—yet unflinching, unyielding. Daniel J. Daly was that man, the steel spine in the chaos, the roar in silent moments. Two Medals of Honor. Not given lightly. Not bought with luck. Earned in the dirt and blood of two wars few live to tell.

Born for the Fight, Built for Sacrifice

Daly was no stranger to hardship. Born in Glen Cove, New York, in 1873, his roots were iron and grit. A steelworker’s son who became a Marine at 21. No frills, no fanfare—just a hard man with a hard heart molded by the working class and faith in a justice beyond the battlefield.

He was a devout Catholic. His faith wasn’t a Sunday suit but a worn coat, seen in his relentless defense of his comrades and in the mercy he showed amidst carnage. "Blessed are the peacemakers," he might have whispered behind gritted teeth, even as he laid down violence to protect the innocent.

Daly believed in duty before self. Honor above all else. And when the call rang, he answered by charging headlong into hell.

The Battle That Defined Him: The Boxer Rebellion, 1900

The streets of Tientsin burned. The Boxer Rebellion’s violence clawed through China with savage fury. Daly, then a corporal in the 1st Marine Regiment, was a bullet-hardened soldier with nothing to prove—except to the enemy that America’s resolve was ironclad.

When the Siege of Peking hit its peak, Daly and a handful of Marines faced waves of enemy fire. With ammunition low and troops wounded, the odds stalled any sane withdrawal. Yet, Daly’s voice cut through the chaos: “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?”*

This is no legend, but a recorded phrase credited in Marines’ histories.

With that, he led a counterattack that pushed the enemy back. He picked up rifles for fallen comrades, fought in hand-to-hand combat, and held the line with an unbreakable will. His courage was not bravado; it was survival—to protect those beside him in the crucible of fire and blood.

For that, he earned his first Medal of Honor.

A Second Medal Forged in the Great War

World War I was different. Death was industrial-scale, mechanically precise, and unrelenting. Daly, now a Sergeant Major, found himself in the mud of Belleau Wood in June 1918—where Marines became known as the “Devil Dogs.”

Under lethal machine gun fire, with his company pinned down and 42 men dead or wounded, Daly—alone—charged a nest of enemy soldiers who were about to annihilate what was left of his men.

With rifle, pistol, and sheer guts, he attacked, routed the enemy, and inspired his men to rally and retake the line. Such fearless leadership turned the tide of the battle and preserved the spirit of the 5th Marine Regiment.

This singular stand won him the second Medal of Honor. A feat no other Marine has matched.

Words From Those Who Fought With Him

Commanders and comrades alike revered Daly. Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Daly once said, “There is nothing better in this world than a corpse of a dead enemy.” Harsh words, but born from war-hardened truth.

Once asked about honors, Daly deflected with grim humor. He famously said, “You can take all the medals off my chest and I’ll still have the scars.”

General John A. Lejeune, the Marine Corps’ 13th Commandant, called Daly “the greatest fighting Marine.”

What He Left Behind: Valor Beyond the Medal

Sgt. Major Daniel J. Daly’s story isn’t about medals pinned on a chest or hero worship. It’s about raw courage, leadership forged in the teeth of death, and a solemn respect for the cost of battle—brotherhood, sacrifice, and faith.

His scars—both visible and unseen—tell the timeless truth of combat: Bravery is borne from desperation. Duty calls louder than fear.

Psalm 23 rings true for Daly’s legacy:

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” (Psalm 23:4)

His life challenges veterans and civilians alike to confront fear, uphold honor, and find purpose beyond the chaos. In a world hungry for meaning, Daly’s story is a reminder: True valor is never for glory. It is for the man beside you, the mission ahead, and the price paid in silence.

He fought to protect brothers—lost many—and carried their memory forward until his final breath.

In the end, Sgt. Major Daniel J. Daly stands as a shadow in the storm. A warrior. A guardian. A testament to the cost and grace only war can reveal.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Recipients: Daniel J. Daly 2. Major Edwin N. McClellan, The United States Marine Corps in the World War (1919) 3. Charles H. Bogart, Marine Corps Legends: Sgt. Maj. Daniel J. Daly (Marine Corps Gazette) 4. John A. Lejeune, The Reminiscences of Major General John A. Lejeune (1945)