Sergeant Major Daniel Daly, Two-Time Medal of Honor Recipient

Oct 30 , 2025

Sergeant Major Daniel Daly, Two-Time Medal of Honor Recipient

The roar of gunfire didn’t scare him. It was the silence that came after—the weight of loss, the blood on muddy boots, the dead and dying left behind. Daniel Joseph Daly stood firm, his eyes locked on the enemy lines like a battle-hardened rock amidst the storm. Twice, the Marine Corps engraved his name in valor. Twice, he answered the call where others faltered. This is the story of a warrior who fought not just with guns, but with unyielding spirit.

The Roots of a Warrior

Born in 1873 in Glen Cove, New York, Daniel Daly came from humble beginnings. His Irish Catholic upbringing carved a steel faith that anchored him through hell. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” he must have recalled, even as chaos reigned. A man of raw grit, Daly joined the Marines at 18—seeking purpose, found in the crucible of combat.

His code was simple but unbreakable: protect your brothers, face fear head-on, and carry the weight of responsibility without complaint. Faith and duty blended into a living prayer for every mission. The sea-weathered recruit turned hardened fighting man, his journey wound through gritty ports and brutal campaigns.

The Battle That Defined Him — Twice Over

Boxer Rebellion, 1900. The streets of Tientsin blazed with rebellion and riot. Daly, then just a corporal, found himself under siege. When the allied forces holed up in the city’s legation quarter, survivors lingered on the edge of collapse.

Against this backdrop, Daly performed an act no soldier forgets. Amid chaos and gunfire, he bravely rescued a completely cut-off wounded comrade under heavy enemy fire. His Medal of Honor citation states it plainly: “In the presence of the enemy during the battle of Tientsin, China, 13 July 1900, Daly distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism.”[^1]

Years later, when the Great War's monstrous machine swept over Europe, Daly was older—wiser, battle-hardened, but just as fearless. The 5th Marine Regiment hit the Meuse-Argonne in 1918, facing hellish trenches, relentless shells, and death’s cold breath.

Here, Sergeant Major Daly single-handedly charged an enemy position protected by a nest of machine guns. The line was breaking. With grim resolve, he silenced the guns, rallied his men, and turned sure defeat into victory. His second Medal of Honor citation reads: “While serving with the 48th Company, 2d Battalion, 5th Regiment, U.S. Marines... engaged in the attack on the strongly fortified enemy position, Sgt. Maj. Daly… personally charged the enemy and silenced the machine gun nest.”[^2]

No heroics spun for the cameras—just pure, raw courage. Bloodied, exhausted, unyielding.

Honors Forged in Fire

Daly’s rare distinction as a two-time Medal of Honor recipient placed him among the war’s immortal few. The first was awarded for valor in China; the second, earned nearly two decades later on European soil.

John A. Lejeune, 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps, said of Daly: “He is the fighting Marine. We have many heroes, but Sergt. Maj. Daly is the epitome of courage and leadership.”[^3]

His awards didn’t stop there. Daly earned the Navy Cross, multiple campaign medals, and respect that transcended ribbons. But his real decoration was the loyalty of the men who followed him into hell. Battles don’t make legends, warriors do—and Daly made a lifetime of them.

Legacy Etched In Iron and Prayer

Daly’s story is carved from blood and bone—a testament to those who hold the line when everything screams to retreat. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). His life proves this scripture alive. Not just in death, but in the relentless fight for every inch of ground and the lives of brothers beside him.

Combat repeats its brutal rhythm, but Daly’s legacy teaches that courage isn’t absence of fear—it’s acting despite it. Leadership isn’t shouting orders; it’s stepping into fire first. Faith endures as the final fortress when all else fails.

The lessons aren’t wrapped in medals or history books. They live in every veteran who’s stared into death’s eyes and kept moving. In every citizen who remembers what sacrifice demands. Daniel Joseph Daly’s fight goes beyond battlefield glory—it’s an eternal call to honor those who bleed for our tomorrow.

He stood unwavering in the smoke and bullets. A warrior forged by war, redeemed by faith, remembered forever. Sergeant Major Daniel Daly showed us what it means to be a Marine: unshakable, unbreakable, and eternally standing watch over freedom’s fragile flame.

[^1]: U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Recipients: Boxer Rebellion [^2]: U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Citations: World War I [^3]: Lejeune, John A., Marine Corps Commandant’s Official Remarks on Sgt. Major Daniel Daly (1920)