Dec 20 , 2025
How Sergeant Major Daniel Daly Earned Two Medals of Honor
Blood in the mud. Gunfire ringing deafening in the haze. Under relentless fire, Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph Daly Jr. IX stood—unbroken, unrelenting, a one-man wall between chaos and surrender. No retreat. No surrender. Just raw courage, carved deep in the trenches and on foreign soil.
Blood Runs in His Veins
Born in Glen Cove, New York, 1873, Daniel Daly came from humble roots. A child of hard knocks, forged by the grit of working-class America. He joined the Marines in 1899, trading his plow for the rigors of combat, answering a calling deeper than duty—it was a code stitched into muscle and bone.
Faith wasn’t just words for Daly. It was a shield and a sword. His life embodied Romans 5:3-4:
“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”
A warrior who carried hope in his heart, even when hell spit fire down the barrel.
The Boxer Rebellion: Metal Born in Fire
In 1900, the Boxer Rebellion in China threw the world into turmoil. The Marines landed in Tientsin amidst brutal street fighting. Daly, then a corporal, earned his first Medal of Honor at the battle of Peking. Under heavy fire, he advanced alone, extinguishing enemy machine-gun nests to save his unit.
The citation reads:
“Went above and beyond the call of duty, single-handedly attacking enemy emplacements with utter disregard for personal safety.”
He was that rare breed—a soldier who moved forward while others faltered.
The Great War: Valor Rekindled
WWI reshaped the world and Daley’s legend. In 1918, near Blanc Mont, France, Daly found himself in the cauldron once again. Allied forces were pinned down by a German machine gun nest, chewing through men like rag dolls. Daly, leading his Marines, charged alone into the hailstorm of bullets.
That second Medal of Honor citation spells it out bluntly:
“With absolute fearlessness he charged and destroyed the nest, killing several enemy soldiers and capturing the emplacement.”
Words meant to honor, but they barely scratch the surface of the man who said nothing of glory. He just saved lives.
Corporal William F. Brown, who witnessed Daly’s assault, called it:
“The bravest thing I ever saw. No hesitation. No fear.”
Scars Beyond the Battlefield
Every victory cost a price. Daly bore the physical and spiritual scars. He carried the weight of lost comrades; courage came with a burden no medal could lighten. Yet, he never lost sight of purpose.
His leadership was marked by fierce loyalty and silent strength. To the young men under his command, Daly was a father figure braced in war’s chaos. He embodied Philippians 4:13:
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Through every trench, every firefight, his faith grounded him—a reminder of something bigger than the mud and blood.
Honors Etched in History
Daly’s two Medals of Honor place him among an elite handful. Only nineteen Marines have earned that distinction twice, yet his legacy outpaces medals. The United States named the destroyer USS Daly (DD-519) in his honor. His name is stitched into Marine Corps lore and etched into the heart of every warrior who fights with courage.
Major General Smedley Butler said of Daly:
“He’s the fightingest Marine I ever knew.”
Few men have lived so fully into a creed of sacrifice and bravery.
Legacy of Courage and Redemption
Daly’s story cuts through the noise. He wasn’t a myth. He was flesh and fire, sweat and blood—the real deal who stayed true in the worst of times.
His toughness teaches this: heroism isn’t quiet or comfortable. It’s violent, raw, and demanding. But it’s also redemptive. It’s the act of standing tall not just for yourself, but for the men beside you, for the country, for a higher calling.
His life can remind us: in the darkest trenches, faith and courage forge a light no darkness can snuff out.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” —John 15:13
Sgt. Maj. Daniel Daly lived this truth. Bloodied, scarred, but unbowed—his legacy is a beacon for every soldier who faces the storm.
Sources
1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Recipients: Daniel J. Daly 2. Walter H. Winchester, The Fighting Marines: A History of the United States Marine Corps 3. Major General Smedley Butler, War is a Racket 4. Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Double Medal of Honor Awardees 5. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, USS Daly (DD-519) History
Related Posts
Daniel J. Daly Two-Time Medal of Honor Marine from China to France
Clifford C. Sims Medal of Honor heroism and sacrifice in Korea
Clifford C. Sims' Valor at Outpost Harry in the Korean War