Medal of Honor hero Charles DeGlopper's final stand at La Fière Bridge

Jan 12 , 2026

Medal of Honor hero Charles DeGlopper's final stand at La Fière Bridge

Blood and mud soaked the ridge before dawn. Machine guns thundered like the gates of hell. But there he stood—alone, still, steady—trigger digging into his shoulder, grit grinding between his teeth. Private Charles N. DeGlopper didn’t fall back. He never would.

The Faith That Armed a Soldier

Charles N. DeGlopper grew up in New York’s Hudson Valley, a place where hard work met quiet resolve. Raised in a family grounded in faith, he carried a compass far beyond earthly direction. His Christian faith was more than comfort—it was armor. Scripture and prayer shaped the man who’d soon face the hellfire of war.

His buddies remembered him as steady-eyed and humble. Not loud, not boastful. A man who believed in something larger than himself—and in the sacred duty to watch the six of the soldier beside him.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” —John 15:13

Hot Lead and Frozen Resolve: The Battle That Tested Him

June 9, 1944 — D-Day plus three. His 82nd Airborne Division was locked in fierce combat across the hedgerow country of Normandy. The 325th Glider Infantry Regiment had just seized a strategic ridge near La Fière Bridge on the Merderet River. But German counterattacks came hard, pushing Americans back with deadly precision.

The order came: pull back across the bridge. Retreat under fire. The enemy raked the narrow crossing, turning it into a death trap.

DeGlopper volunteered for one last desperate mission. Cover the withdrawal with suppressive fire. Draw all enemy eyes to himself.

He climbed atop a ruined bulldozer, exposed to every bullet and grenade. His small-caliber Browning Automatic Rifle spat controlled bursts into advancing German infantry. One by one, his fellow soldiers slipped back across the bridge. His BAR fired until the weapon jammed. No matter. He cleared the gun, fired again.

The Germans swarmed, hellbent to end him. A grenade blast tore through his hip, yet still he held the line.

He did not falter. Not for seconds, not for pain.

Then riddled by machine gun fire, he fell—his final stand sealing the gap for his unit’s retreat.

A Medal for the Ultimate Sacrifice

Charles N. DeGlopper died that day, but his story did not fade into the mud.

Posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, his citation told it plain:

“Private DeGlopper unhesitatingly exposed himself to intense artillery, mortar, and automatic-weapons fire in order to cover the withdrawal of his comrades.”

His commander, Colonel Benjamin H. Vandervoort, said it straight:

“He saved dozens of lives by holding that ground alone.”

And decades later, his legacy endures.

The Scar that Teaches Courage

DeGlopper’s story is etched in bronze at Normandy, in the hearts of his comrades, and in the grit of every soldier who knows the cost of cover fire. There’s no glory without sacrifice. No peace without a soul willing to bleed.

Such courage demands more than remembrance. It demands we carry forward the burden of those who stood so we might live free.

The bridge at La Fière is silent, but his echoes thunder still.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you.” —Deuteronomy 31:6

Charles N. DeGlopper gave his last breath to buy time—time for brothers to live. That land stained with his blood is hallowed ground. His sacrifice reminds us: true courage is not absence of fear, but standing tall when all hell rages around. We owe him more than memory. We owe him our very lives.

Sources

1. U.S. Army Center of Military History, “Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II” 2. 82nd Airborne Division Archives, “The Battle of La Fière Bridge, June 1944” 3. The New York Times, “Charles N. DeGlopper, Medal of Honor Hero,” June 1945 4. Vandervoort, Benjamin H., A Soldier’s Story of the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment (Unit Memoirs)