Marine Daniel Joseph Daly and His Two Medals of Honor at Belleau Wood

Jan 19 , 2026

Marine Daniel Joseph Daly and His Two Medals of Honor at Belleau Wood

Blood in the mud. Steel clashing under a foreign sun. The air thick with gunfire and grime—not just dirt, but the weight of history pressing down. In that chaos stood Daniel Joseph Daly, a man whose scars run deeper than skin, whose actions screamed louder than any trumpet call.

The Boy from Glen Cove

Born 1873, Glen Cove, New York. Irish roots. Hard living. Young Daniel slipped into the Corps in 1899, a nation still finding its spine after the Spanish-American War. The world wasn’t kind. The Marines were rougher.

Faith was never shouted. It was lived quietly in the background—a soldier’s silent prayer. A code of honor bred in sweat and hardship, where duty transcended fear. Many saw Daly as the embodiment of “Semper Fidelis”—always faithful, always true.

“The Lord is my strength and my shield,” Psalm 28:7 whispered in the darkest hours, a compass when bullets flew like hell’s own rain.

The Boxer Rebellion: Valor Ignited

1900, China. The so-called Boxer Rebellion. Foreign troops pinned down, an inferno of savage combat. Daly was just 26, but in the streets of Tientsin, his grit burned fierce.

Twice, he earned the Medal of Honor here—an extraordinary feat. First, during the assault on the city, he led daring charges across open ground under constant fire. The citations speak of “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity,” but those words barely scrape the raw truth.

Men faltered; he didn’t. He carried wounded comrades, loaded guns with blistered hands, and pressed forward when others dropped. Not for glory—because the man next to him counted on it.

The Great War: Valor Refined in Verdun

World War I drafted Daly back into the killing fields of Europe. Sergeant Major by then—age 43, the old warrior among young lions. The Marne, Château-Thierry—names seared into American memory as crucibles of blood and grinding resolve.

On June 6, 1918, at Belleau Wood, Daly’s famous words cut through the chaos: “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” It wasn’t civvy talk. It was battle-born fire. A call for raw courage when the lines buckled.

Despite the horror, despite taxes paid in blood, Daly earned his second Medal of Honor for single-handedly holding off a German machine gun nest with his rifle for hours. The citation recalls a “steadfast and courageous defense, inspiring all who witnessed it.”

Leadership was not flashy for Daly; it was survival forged in desperation. He knew each man’s soul was tethered to the next. To falter was to lose more than ground—it was to lose brotherhood.

The Medals and the Man Behind Them

Two Medals of Honor. Not handed out lightly. Only nineteen men hold this double distinction.

Daly’s citations read like war poems of valor. Yet the man behind them stayed humble, worn by the burdens only veterans know.

Commanders called him “one of the greatest Marines in history.” Comrades vowed to follow him into hell if needed. But Daly never sought spotlight. He sought purpose.

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs,” that’s not just a quote—it’s a life lived, etched into the dirt and devastation.

Legacy Etched in Blood and Faith

Daniel Joseph Daly died in 1937. A Marine’s Marine, an American lion. His story isn’t just medals or war stories. It’s about raw human grit, the kind no smooth desk job can teach. Courage in the face of relentless terror. Faith that anchors the soul mid-battle.

Look beyond the uniform. See the man who took on impossible odds—twice decorated, twice tested, and twice triumphant. His legacy is a call to those of us fighting every day, on every front, in every way.

“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

When the smoke clears, that’s what remains—the unwavering spirit, the brotherhood hard-earned, and the fierce belief that no sacrifice is in vain.

Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division + "Two Medals of Honor Winners: SgtMaj Daniel J. Daly" 2. The United States Army Center of Military History + "Medal of Honor Recipients—Boxer Rebellion" 3. Poole, Gregory. Battlefield Courage: The Story of SgtMaj Daniel J. Daly and Belleau Wood, Naval Institute Press 4. Glantz, David M. American Marines in World War I: The Battle of Belleau Wood, Marine Corps Association 5. Official Medal of Honor Citation Records, Congressional Medal of Honor Society