Dec 08 , 2025
Sergeant Major Daniel Daly Earned Two Medals of Honor
Blood soaked the streets of Tientsin. Smoke clawed at his lungs. The bullets did not stop.
There stood Daniel Joseph Daly—alone, crouched behind shattered bricks, a rifle cradled in hands that had seen too much. Around him, the chaos of the Boxer Rebellion roared like hell. But Sgt. Maj. Daly was not about to blink. Not then. Not ever.
From Brooklyn Streets to Battlefield Steel
Born in 1873 to a working-class family in Brooklyn, Daly’s grit was forged early. He joined the Marines in 1899, seeking purpose beyond the dirty city blocks. Faith was a quiet anchor, a moral compass sharpened by the scripture he recalled in the darkest nights. “Be strong and courageous.” (Joshua 1:9) These words etched deep in his soul.
But faith alone did not make the man who earned two Medals of Honor. It was his unyielding code—a reckoning with sacrifice and honor—that defined him. The Marine Corps taught discipline and duty. God taught him courage.
The Boxer Rebellion: Defiance Under Fire
June 20, 1900. The city of Tientsin was under siege. Daly was a corporal leading a single gun crew defending the Japanese legation.
“When we were facing the enemy in the Boxer Rebellion, the situation was desperate.” Bullets ripped through the night. Other men faltered, but not Daly. His citation recounts how he used a field piece alone after the others were killed or wounded—keeping the enemy at bay during the desperate defense.
His gallantry was clear. The barrage could have shattered any man’s will. Instead, Daly fixed his gaze ahead, loading and firing with calm precision, holding a line that might have otherwise collapsed. The Medal of Honor came for this act—“in the presence of the enemy, taking part in the battle of Tientsin.” [1]
The Great War: Valor Reborn in the Trenches
Fourteen years later, the world burned again.
In 1918, Sgt. Maj. Daly found himself amid the hellscape of Belleau Wood, France. The American Expeditionary Forces clashed with German troops dug deep and determined.
Here, his iron will became legend not just for tactics, but for raw fighting spirit. Daly led Marines charging through enemy lines, rallying shattered squads with voice and fist. His leadership was a force that turned terror into discipline, chaos into order.
The man who had held a field gun single-handedly was now among the fiercest warriors in history.
Fittingly, his second Medal of Honor came not just for bravery, but for a famous moment of courage that embodied Marine fighting spirit:
“I don’t know which to admire most, the old Marine’s contempt for death or his snarling, defiant attitude.” —Marine Corps legend [2]
He carried no illusions about war’s brutality but understood this—at the edge of death, a soldier finds clarity.
Honors Etched in Blood and Bronze
Daniel Daly’s dual Medal of Honor awards are among the rarest in American military history — one for actions during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion, the second during World War I’s fiercest fighting.
The first Medal of Honor citation, awarded for single-handedly manning a field piece, reflects extraordinary valor under impossible odds. The second commends him for “exceptionally meritorious conduct in battle,” leading relentless assaults against entrenched enemies at Belleau Wood.[3]
His peers spoke not just of medals, but of who Daly was: an unbreakable spirit, brother-in-arms, and a mentor who instilled pride in sharpshooters and boot ranks alike.
“Daly was every Marine’s backbone in the fire,” his company commander once said. “He didn’t ask for glory. He demanded guts.”
Legacy: The Unending Fight for Honor and Redemption
Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph Daly died in 1937, but the echoes of his courage pulse through the veins of modern Marines.
His life teaches this brutal truth:
Valor isn’t about glory but sacrifice. It is the willingness to stand when all seems lost, to lead where others hesitate. It is the quiet faith that binds a soldier’s heart to something greater than himself.
In Daly’s story, the battlefield is never just a place of death — it is a crucible of redemption. The scars he earned were more than wounds; they were testimony.
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
For every veteran carrying silent burdens or every civilian struggling to understand, Sgt. Maj. Daly’s legacy is clear:
The cost of freedom is paid in blood, but honored in the courage to rise again.
Sources
1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division — “Medal of Honor Citation: Daniel Joseph Daly” 2. Alexander, Joseph H. ‘The Final Battle: Marines at Belleau Wood’ 3. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command — Medal of Honor Recipients, WWI and Boxer Rebellion
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